Tempest
by kaiserklee
Summary: Word was, the war in Arendelle lasted less than a day. "There's just one thing, and if you agree, I can promise Arendelle leniency." Elsa nodded at Anna. "I want her." (AU, Elsa is raised as a weapon of war and Anna becomes her unwilling guest.) Elsanna, but not incest.
1. Tempest

**a/n: **Thanks for checking this out! This story is a darker exploration of Elsa, in which she's raised in the Southern Isles, a different place with different values from the peaceful Arendelle we see in the movie. Essentially, taking another look at her self-denial and eventual self-acceptance from the opposite end of the spectrum. A warning, there will be Elsanna, but not as siblings. Some fairly dark themes, though tempered by Anna's famous cheer.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Tempest**

Word was the war lasted less than a day.

But who used to be Princess Anna of the nation once known as Arendelle knew better. When Queen Elsa of the Southern Isles declared war, Arendelle had not fallen in less than a day, but less than hours. Nobody could have seen it coming, not when Arendelle and the Southern Isles had such good relations for all these years; but even so, Arendelle was more than prepared for invasion. Flatly refusing the terms of surrender, Arendelle readied itself for war. Whatever earthly force dared to strike at Arendelle would be met by one of the strongest navies and one of the most united nations in the world.

Whatever _earthly _force.

Anna had been there to witness it, an innocuous lone battleship sailing in from the south that brought with it an unstoppable tempest of destruction.

* * *

"What _is _that?" Anna asked.

Beside her, the King had no answer.

From the top of Arendelle Castle, Anna peered through a spyglass and saw an opaque ship sailing across the seas _with no sail_. That was the first thing to catch her attention, because as she watched in open-mouthed disbelief, the battleship surged across the waves completely unaided. It looked as though the ship propelled itself through sheer force of will, and only when Anna got over the impossibility of its movement did she notice the ship's beauty.

"It's made out of ice," Anna breathed.

And again she had to marvel at the impossible feat, because the sun beat down with summer heat and the coastal waters were warm, much too warm for ice. How could an entire ship be made out of ice? Completely flawless ice, with no veins or air bubbles or debris of any kind to mar the transparent blue surface glittering like diamonds as it refracted the light. Ridges and crests formed what was indeed a battleship: stern, bow, masts, and then as if to further pronounce the ethereality, the ship stopped and sails of ice appeared to finish the ensemble.

"Someone is coming," the King said. Both he and Anna looked on with breathless anticipation, confused and anxious about this unexpected turn of events.

A single woman stepped out to the bow, dressed nothing like any warrior or herald. Anna herself had been outfitted in armor, unfitting though it felt on her lanky form, mostly to inspire the citizens of Arendelle; but even in her most regal dresses she felt inadequate compared to the stranger. Platinum blonde hair and white skin Anna could only dream of, a porcelain complexion as though she had never once seen the light of day. Her dress oddly resembled the ship, light blue and slightly transparent, and the long end trailing behind her melded into the ship in a way suggesting more than color similarity.

"That's Queen Elsa," the King said, sounding more frightened than Anna had ever heard from her normally steadfast father.

"But still," Anna muttered, unnerved by the strange sight and not knowing why, half trying to convince herself that all was still well, "What is one weird person going to do, right?"

She found out when Queen Elsa raised her arms to the sky and summoned death.

Though the king immediately sounded for the alarms, nothing could be done to stop the immediate glacial snowstorm that struck. Out of a clear blue sky erupted a mixture of hail and snow that blocked out the sun itself, ice shards all shaped like miniature spears and falling with unnatural speed as though launched down. Frost spread from the bottom of the mysterious battleship to cover the fjord, freezing over the water in mid-wave and leaving a rutted field of ice.

"Kill the sorceress!"

At the king's command, archers fired from the castle walls and trebuchets launched entire boulders at the woman, but she remained standing calmly with arms outstretched. A great wave of ice spiked up out of the ground and neatly caught every single arrow, resisted the impact of dozens of boulders, all without leaving a scratch. As soon as the barrage ended, the wall fell. Anna could catch a small pull at the corner of Elsa's lips.

_She _wants _to see this, _Anna realized. That was the only reason the wall fell. Elsa wanted to watch the fall of Arendelle with her own eyes.

Ice rained down from the heavens and impaled a thousand men, like holy judgment from the Queen watching from her seat of glory.

* * *

With its entire navy frozen uselessly in the banks and its army decimated by ice that could not be guarded against, Arendelle offered unconditional surrender.

Queen Elsa did not accept.

An army of snow creatures stormed Arendelle and Queen Elsa very calmly walked unhindered to the castle gates, froze through them until they were brittle and waved them aside with a gust of icy wind, and strolled in to meet the royal family.

"There will be no surrender," Elsa said, again very calmly, as though stating simple fact while she sat on the throne and the King of Arendelle kneeled on the floor with a blade of ice hovering over his throat. "Surrender means negotiation. There will be no negotiation. Only my terms will be heard."

"Then what do you want, Elsa?"

"Absolute fealty," Elsa said. The King moved to speak, and the ice moved closer as he tried to straighten himself. He flinched back, silenced. "I will have complete sovereignty, though you may keep your throne as my vassal. You will complete demilitarization within a month. You will pay us tribute every year, the amount of which I may dictate at will. You may conduct trade only with the Southern Isles, in both import and export. And–"

"That's ridiculous!"

Despite the King's protest, Anna sprang to her feet from where she kneeled beside him. There had been nothing hindering her, likely because Elsa thought her no threat; but as Anna stood, she saw a battalion of those strange snow beasts begin to converge around her. She only raised her head towards Elsa with a straight back, uncaring of the danger, and Elsa waved a hand. The creatures subsided.

"You may speak your mind," Elsa murmured.

"What you're demanding is completely unfair," Anna said, taking a step closer to her _father's throne_, which Elsa had no right to be seated on.

"Anna, please, stop before you're hurt–"

Elsa glared down, gaze frigid, and the temperature in the throne room dropped until frost coated the windows. The King silenced once more, and only then did the temperature ease back. Not _comfortable_, but tolerably cold as long as one wore enough winter clothing. Anna did not.

"Continue," Elsa said.

Anna pursed her lips, unafraid. "First of all, my pappa isn't going to be your _vassal _when this is _our _kingdom–"

"A conquered kingdom," Elsa corrected, throwing a quick glance over to the defeated King. He looked completely resigned to his fate, but he had also given up on persuading Anna.

"Well, how are we going to defend ourselves if another person like _you _comes along and we don't have any military?" Anna neglected to mention just how very effective their military had been.

Elsa nodded. "I offer you protection in return for your loyalty."

Anna wasn't appeased. If anything, she only grew angrier. "Trade, then! How are we supposed to survive just trading with you? And we can't give you tribute, not after what you did–"

"I will, of course, unfreeze your fields and the fjord," Elsa said. "Your domestic economic activity will remain untouched. I will also offer you proper compensation. I would not have Arendelle starve."

"You don't know anything about Arendelle!" Anna cried. "You don't know the people, you don't know our culture, so how are you going to rule? You don't even deserve it!"

Anna's breathless shout echoed through the throne room, and she heaved with the force of both the shout and her emotions. Angry tears prickled in her eyes. She knew nothing she said would change anything, and any argument she could offer was weak. Anna knew she had never been much of a princess, hardly someone capable of making big decisions and making logical arguments, but she just couldn't accept this without doing anything. How could anyone just barge in like this and take over? What would the people do? Anna wiped the tears from her eyes before they could fall.

Elsa stared at Anna for long moments, unblinkingly roving her eyes over Anna's features with a completely unreadable expression. When Anna noticed the scrutiny, she stared back into frigid blue eyes that widened slightly at the daring act. Elsa broke eye contact first. At last, she turned away from Anna and back to the King with her lips pulled down into a slight frown. "In that case, I have one more stipulation," Elsa said.

"Elsa, you've already demanded everything I have to give," the King said wearily.

"Not everything," Elsa said. As she spoke, the spear of ice pointed at the King dissolved into water to harmlessly soak into the red carpet. "There's just one thing, and if you agree, I can promise Arendelle leniency."

The King raised his head. "What would that be?"

Elsa nodded at Anna.

"I want her."


	2. Cold Winds Blow

**a/n: **Hey readers, first of all, thank you for all the encouraging reviews/follows/favorites. Quite frankly, I'm overwhelmed that so many people are interested in this plot bunny of mine. Wrote up this chapter quickly to let everyone know that I'm going to continue this. A quick response to the reviews I couldn't PM to: this will be Elsanna, but they will not be siblings, and I'll be on the lookout for that fanart! Also, much thanks to baekheui for betaing with almost no prior notice, I really appreciate it.

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**Chapter 2: Cold Winds Blow**

Anna took another long sweeping gaze over her bedroom. She would miss this place. Sure, the castle had been a little lonely ever since her father shut the gates; and sure, Anna really only had suits of armor and the paintings to talk to, but she would miss them – the suits and paintings were just right pals.

"You don't have to do this, Anna," the King said again, for what Anna thought must have been the thousandth time. Well, admittedly she had lost count after the first ten or so, but she probably wasn't even exaggerating much. While he busied himself moving her clothes out of her luggage case, she continued throwing everything she could find in there.

"I think I kind of do," Anna said. She held up two dresses and swished them back and forth, placing one against her body and looking down with one eye squinted shut. Did white make her look fat? "Which one looks better…?"

"Anna, Elsa has made it clear that you're under no actual obligation to obey," the King said, but even someone as naïve as Anna knew herself to be could tell that was a boldfaced lie. As though what Elsa called a _conquered kingdom_ could refuse anything. "You don't have to leave if you don't want to. There's no need for you to–"

"You know what? I'll just take them both," Anna mumbled, and she threw them in a pile into the suitcase. When she heard her father groan, she perked up and grinned. "I'll be fine."

The King shook his head and grasped Anna's arm just as she prepared to turn back to her overly-large closet. She looked back and for the first time saw clearly the lines of worry creased at the edges of his eyes and mouth. "Anna, _please_."

Anna heard her father's voice shake with desperation, and for a short moment she wavered. Ever since her mother died of illness, Anna was all that the King had left, and he had even closed the castle gates to make sure she would never get hurt; but she also knew this was the only way she could ease his burden. If she wasn't here, he wouldn't have to divide his attention between her and the kingdom, like he had been forced to all his life. If she wasn't here, everyone would be better off. And Elsa _had _agreed to be more lenient if Anna left with her. Somehow, Anna trusted she would keep her promise.

"I'll be fine," Anna said again, gently, and as she laid her hand over her father's she tried to convey everything she couldn't say aloud. You don't have to take care of me anymore. Let me do this for you.

Slowly, the King nodded. "If that is your wish, I won't stop you."

Smiling when she saw her father exhale a slow breath, Anna continued packing. All the while, she entertained thoughts of revolution, and triumph, and all those types of dramatic things. "Who knows? Maybe I'll have a chance to, I don't know, find some way to bring them down from the inside–"

"I know you like those types of stories, but please do not follow the example of Joan," the King said crossly. "I only want you to keep yourself safe, and that's all I will ever ask of you."

"Shouldn't have gotten those paintings, Pappa," Anna said, making what she thought was an imperceptible shrug of her shoulders. No promises. "Good 'ol Joan is my idol_._"

"I saw that, Anna."

"I know," Anna said, laughing, because her father could always tell what she was thinking and she had no misconceptions about that fact; but then her momentary thrill slowly faded and her voice lowered. "You…always know me best." The King said nothing in response. Anna stopped packing, hands coming to a halt as she found herself gripping the fabric of her dress so tightly even her knuckles turned white.

She would miss the suits of armor, she would miss the paintings, but most of all, even if she tried not to think about it, she knew she would miss her father. And all of her bravado couldn't hide that anymore, so Anna finally threw down her things and turned to hug him tightly for one last time.

"I'll miss you," Anna said, burying her face into his shoulder. All her life her father had been the one constant. "I'll really, really miss you, Pappa."

All that the King managed to say was a choked, "Take care of yourself, Anna."

Anna wondered if she really could.

* * *

After a long night of tossing and turning before finally falling into a fitful sleep, Anna had been dragged out of it almost as soon as she started sleeping in the first place. Guards escorted Anna to the docks first thing in the morning, a time which when she was younger she had called _when the sky was awake, _or in other words, an ungodly hour for her now.

Not to say it wasn't pretty seeing the sun rise, orange and purple hues reflected over the calm waters of Arendelle and transforming abstract silhouettes into distinct moored ships.

It only made Anna waver more in her decision, and for a moment Anna hadn't been sure if she should even continue looking for fear she would abandon her duty. Arendelle was her home, and it always would be. She would give anything to be able to stay here forever. Even the slight rays of light filtering in were beautiful to Anna. On the way here she had kept her eyes wide open, trying to take in the view of the city bathed in light, trying to forever engrave it into her memory as though she could drink her fill of it before leaving forever.

She couldn't.

Being handed off like some sort of stock good, Anna found herself pushed towards a lightly armored man standing in front of a frigate with the ramp down. He took one look at the bag in her hand and, with an ugly sneer, reached out to snatch it.

"Hey! Give that back!" Anna tugged hard on her suitcase trying to get it back, but the smelly, bearded soldier pulled harder than she ever could with her spindly arms. Before she knew it, all of her carefully assembled (hastily thrown together) luggage had been tossed into the newly unfrozen fjord. She turned to him in accusation, but she had no authority anymore the one time she ever tried to exercise it.

"You really think this is some sort of vacation?" Already beady eyes narrowed further, and Anna deemed him Piggy in her head.

"Your Queen Elsa said that I could bring anything I required," Anna huffed. She watched as her suitcase slowly sank to the depths of the fjord, taking all of her worldly possessions with it. Her last comfort had been taken from her. Anna took a deep breath and willed herself to move on. She couldn't let herself be beaten here. She had to get through this.

Piggy's hoarse laugh brought her back to the unfortunately uglier present, but at least it snapped her out of her growing anxiety. "Elsa? Elsa is only Regent, not Queen." Anna grimaced as a speckle of spit landed on her cheek. She discretely wiped it away while he laughed again.

"Is there even a difference?" Anna asked, hardly believing the complete, practically tangible disrespect she heard. Everyone in Arendelle certainly feared Elsa, but _Piggy _of all people could speak like this? Come on, he looked like he had the brains of a rock.

"Much," Piggy said. Before Anna could say more, he jabbed her with the blunt end of his spear, nearly sending her careening off the docks and into the water. "Now enough talk. Get on the ship."

Anna looked up at the looming frigate, and then a distance away to the glittering ice-ship looking even more beautiful with the light of sunrise dancing off its surface. Strangely enough, it looked different, shrunken down and less imposing, but Anna thought it only looked better that way. Less imperious and more like the work of art it really was. But, Anna realized with a sour feeling, the _artist _was…

"Not on that one?" Anna still couldn't help asking.

Piggy scowled. "Only Elsa rides that one, and she wouldn't let anyone else on her cursed ship even if there was someone stupid enough to get on it. Now get moving."

Another sharp smack to her back, and Anna bit her lip to stop herself from groaning. It really hurt, especially for someone as pampered as she had been up until now. She could feel the bruises forming already on her delicate skin, but she still turned to give Piggy a dark glare before all but sprinting up the ramp and onto the frigate.

It was rather busy, Anna thought, and she watched as teams of men scrambled around getting supplies ready for the voyage. Where the ships even came from and what exactly they were doing she had no idea, since Elsa had pretty much singlehandedly won the war anyway. Anna looked on at the utter pandemonium of workmen operating cranes to pull crates of something up onto the frigate, and then others lugging the crates around, resembling for all the world a sweatshop of some sort.

As Anna watched, a pulley a good distance away screeched loudly; something had jammed in the lever, and the blond boy operating it didn't react quickly enough. The crate still hanging too high up fell out and slammed onto the ship. With a loud snap it split apart to spill its contents, and Anna began to rush forward with a cry. Those were all sorts of necessities, lumber and clothing and food, and Anna could recognize the designs. All of it was from Arendelle. The people needed those for the coming winter!

"Get away," Piggy said, and he smacked her again on the back of her knee before she could get close. Her leg collapsed under her and she fell to the floor, hitting her jaw hard on the deck, but she could barely feel the pain over her indignation.

Pure fury fueled Anna to ignore the sharp sting and even common sense telling her to avoid being hit again. She sprang to her feet and whirled around to demand, "What's this all about?"

"What do you think? Tribute that Arendelle owes us," Piggy said, and Anna took another hurried look around. Every ship banked in the harbor was being filled to the brim. All of this was tribute? But Elsa had said…

Even if she weren't stunned to speechlessness, Anna didn't have a chance to protest being cheated. Piggy dragged her along the deck, harsh grip leaving red finger-shaped marks on her upper arm. Probably to shove her into the hold or something with the cargo, but then they passed the same pulley that had malfunctioned earlier. Just as Anna walked by, the blond boy let out a grunt of surprise when another crate fell from too high. Thankfully, this one didn't break.

Piggy turned, practically frothing at the lips. "Use some sense, boy! How many are you going to break before you learn?" Anna very almost felt sorry for the boy until she remembered he was from the Southern Isles too. She promptly turned her nose up at him.

And then continued looking out the corner of her eye.

"Sorry," Blondie said, still wearing a cheeky grin as he apologized and actually throwing a thumbs up. As an afterthought he added, "Commander."

Anna couldn't help but laugh even with her mood. Despite herself, she found Blondie's grin to be infectious, and Piggy turned on her next when he heard her stifling a snicker. "Since you're here, you may as well help clean up this mess." And turning on his heel, Piggy strutted away.

"That's rough," Blondie said, and Anna looked down at the crate of _tribute_. Awkward, the heaviest thing she had ever had to lift was maybe a chair to climb up the pantries and get chocolate.

"Whatever," Anna grumbled. She squatted down on one end, put her arms around the box, and strained as hard as she could to lift the damn thing like a valiant knight.

"You look like a troll trying to pass a kidney stone," Blondie said. It was maybe the first thing Anna had heard all day that wasn't spoken with actual malice.

Anna took a deep breath. "So how about giving me a hand, Blondie?"

"It's Kristoff." Blondie, or _Kristoff_, finally deigned to pick up the other end and together they heaved the massive thing up. Mostly on Kristoff's end, but Anna put in her best work.

Slowly making their way over to the hold, Anna couldn't help a jibe. "So Piggy is a Commander? That's actually pretty sad."

"Piggy?" Kristoff laughed so hard he nearly dropped the crate, and Anna shot him a glare while desperately trying to keep her balance. Kristoff just shrugged it off. "Yeah, Andersen's more bark than he is bite. Or more snort than he is bite, I guess." He grinned weakly, his way of offering a truce.

Anna grinned back, feeling some of the tension of the day be relieved just seeing a friendly face. "You're not too bad."

"Oh. Uhh, thanks." Kristoff scratched the back of his neck. "Not every day I get complimented by royalty. Uhh, Princess Anna. Err, Your Highness?"

"I don't think that really applies anymore, does it?" Anna nodded at the crate being carried between them, and then she very nearly slipped over a puddle on the deck. She steadied herself out while Kristoff looked like his eyes were about to bug out carrying the crate on his own. "Whoops, sorry."

Stumbling over a few more stations, they finally lugged the crate down the stairs of the hatch and into the hold, a dark, damp place dripping with fetid water and stinking of _something_. Anna wrinkled her nose at the smell, but it didn't help in the slightest.

"Rats," Kristoff said, snickering when Anna flinched.

"You're kidding."

"Nope. Just a few, but every ship has them."

When Kristoff sat down on one of the barrels lined up against the side, Anna hesitantly joined him. No rats so far, but up above there were certainly more than a few. Kristoff sat oddly passive and quiet, and for a long minute neither of them spoke. Anna poked at the single oil lamp hanging around, sending it swaying back and forth and casting a moving strobe light over the darkness.

"I've learned the trick," Kristoff said. "You can laze around here for about three minutes before you're considered lingering here too long." His tone darkened enough for Anna to tell he had learned through painful experience.

"You've been doing this long?" Anna asked quietly, steadying the lamp so its creaking abated.

Kristoff shrugged and scuffed the floor with his boot, scraping away a good section of grime that Anna vaguely thought might be sentient because it moved with life of its own. With a sigh, Kristoff flicked it off with a shake of his foot. "Not really, I work at the castle stables usually. Stable-boy, you know."

"Oh, so you must know a lot about horses."

"Not…necessarily." Kristoff smiled wryly when Anna frowned. "You'll see. I guess since a few years ago, no one really knows about the Southern Isles, huh?"

Years ago, the Southern Isles, originally open to any visitor, suddenly closed off its ports and surrounded the entire island with its navy so no one could get close. Strange, but neither the King of Arendelle nor anyone at all thought much of their isolation. They weren't attacking anyone, and the Southern Isles still maintained regular communication. Anna supposed it must have been something to do with Elsa.

"Elsa," Anna grumbled.

"You sound pretty upset," Kristoff said.

"Upset?" Anna stood and glowered, feeling all of her aggravation build up so strongly it lodged in her chest. "She cheated Arendelle! All that about being lenient if I left with her – which, by the way, I think makes no sense at all – and then all of this is still being taken?" She kicked at the barrel Kristoff sat on.

Kristoff steadied it and held his hands out. "Easy there, Your Highness. Oh, we should probably be making our way up too." As he led the way and Anna reluctantly followed, he continued speaking. "I'm just going to be totally honest, it could have been way worse."

"What could be worse than this?"

"From what I can see, no one in Arendelle should starve at least." Anna made a face, but Kristoff was probably right. They had enough to manage even without all this, as long as everybody rationed their supplies a bit. "And…at the very least…nobody's being chained up and taken away," Kristoff continued. Anna nearly tripped up the stairs. Slavery was still a thing? Kristoff helped her up the hatch and cleared his throat, some unrecognizable emotion in his eyes. "I mean, except for you, but you know."

"Thanks for making me feel better," Anna said. "Now I only want to drown myself."

"Not a problem." Walking back to the crane, they prepared another shipment. Anna absentmindedly pulled at the ropes with her eyes downcast, lost in her thoughts until Kristoff nudged her and she realized she was actually pulling at air while Kristoff did all the work. "Hey, look over there."

"What can be so impor–"

Anna followed the direction of Kristoff's finger and immediately quieted. Queen Elsa stepped out from her ice-ship to stand at the bow, overshadowing even the majestic vessel with her beauty. As much as she hated to admit it, Anna felt her breath hitch in her chest at the picture of perfection. Without the windstorms and blizzards surrounding her, without the evidence of her power reminding Anna how dangerous she really was, Elsa just looked unhappy. Regal and poised and elegant, but unhappy.

As though sensing Anna's gaze on her, Elsa turned to the side and looked right at her. Anna immediately looked down, but when she worked up the courage to glance back up again a moment later, she saw Elsa looking like she was _maybe _smiling just a bit, the corner of her lips twitched up a miniscule amount. Before Anna could look again and check to see she wasn't having some sort of storage-stink induced dream, Elsa turned and went back into her ship.

"Wait, it's made out of ice. Are there _rooms_?"

Kristoff opened his mouth to speak, but then stalled with jaw agape. His eyebrows furrowed. "That's actually a good question…but maybe for later. We better get back to work."

He looked over the opposite end of the ship, and Anna watched with horror as overseers whipped a couple of the workers, dragging long bleeding grooves down their backs and never once letting up even when they hastened their work. Then she realized they must have been the slaves Kristoff had mentioned, the prisoners of war being forced to work here up on deck…

And then Anna looked at the suddenly grim-faced Kristoff, and understood just how he even knew about that fate so well, so personally. Kristoff…wasn't from the Southern Isles after all. Pity welled from her heart, but she had no words of comfort for him, could do nothing but look away.

She couldn't even take care of herself right now.

* * *

In Anna's own opinion, she had never been spoiled; but no matter what, she was still a princess and hardly accustomed to manual labor. It had been fine with Kristoff helping her out, but then Piggy – _Andersen _– decided to torment her some more by throwing her in with some other much nastier people. No one really expected Anna to be _able _to do much, but they certainly had fun making her _try_.

Whatever optimism Anna could dredge up from her brief rapport with Kristoff didn't last long when she was made to haul supplies like a mule, hands unused to work pulling coarse rope that bit into her skin until it was chafed red and raw. Anna never once complained.

She wasn't about to give these people the satisfaction.

It was only a few short hours, but for Anna it felt like an eternity. Her only comfort was that it was too early for any of the citizens of Arendelle to see her. Not for her pride's sake. She worried what it would do to them to see their princess being forced to work like this. Blood dripped out of a cut on her hand and bruises marred the back of her legs where Andersen had struck her, and she was pretty sure she was suffering from dehydration, but Anna forged on.

Optimism was one of her few strengths.

Until they decided to throw her into the hold and lock her up in a cell.

"Hey! You can't just–"

Anna's protests fell on deaf ears when the hatch slammed shut and she was left alone in the darkness, trapped in what amounted to a cage with the key thrown away. Only the lone lamp she had played with earlier provided any sort of illumination, and it was a weak, flickering thing at best. Anna still thought it might have been for the best. If any brighter, she would be able to see the grime on the floor. She could barely tolerate feeling it sticking onto her as it was, the filthy, oily muck seeming to seep into her very skin.

It only got worse when the ship started moving. Anna tried hard not to get seasick, but no amount of mental willpower would strengthen her stomach against the rolling waves. Locked in the darkness without even fresh air, Anna really thought she might vomit any moment. And then she realized one thing that made even her heart plummet.

She hadn't even been allowed to take one last look at Arendelle before being separated from her home.

"How long am I going to be here?" Anna muttered to herself.

She hadn't been expecting an answer.

A high-pitched chitter made Anna snap to attention. In the corner of her cell, she vaguely saw a pair of eyes glittering, followed by another, and another. Rats. Her breathing sped up as she tried to suppress the growing surge of panic, but looking away only made her see the bars trapping her in and the claustrophobia made everything worse.

Anna moved to put some distance between her and the rodents, but she tripped as pressure strained against her ankles. She had forgotten. They'd put shackles on her. The rattling only made the rats start to hiss, and Anna hurried over to the bars while the sound echoed in her ears.

"Let me out!" Anna screamed, hitting the cage as hard as she could, but it barely made a sound in the hold, let alone up to and through the hatch where anyone would hear her. "Let me out…please…"

She finally, finally let her tears fall as she retreated to the corner, sitting with her legs tucked in and arms wrapped around herself as the cold set in.

_I want to go home._


	3. Frost-Fires Kindle

**a/n: **Makes the blank page a little less intimidating to put an author's note. Check my profile to find a link to fanart by hellafan1! There's quite a bit of description in this chapter, but I wanted to show how the winter here, though similar, is actually different from the one we see in Arendelle during the movie.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Frost-Fires Kindle**

"Get moving."

Anna weakly stumbled out of her cell, ankles scraped raw once released from the confines of shackles and barely managing to support her weight. Not just her ankles. Her entire body felt weak and feverish from the grueling travel: hands shaking with a tremor from sleep deprivation, skin pale and bloodless from lack of sunlight. Anna didn't even know how long she had been trapped down in the dungeon of the cargo hold, not when the only light to peek through was from the edges of the hatch and her meals came at irregular times.

She had refused to eat at first, not having the appetite or the inclination to accept anything from her jailers. That hadn't lasted long. Hunger eventually drove Anna to try the tray of bread and water dumped in the corner, and it was nothing like anything she had ever tasted. The bread was coarse and stale, nearly unpalatable, and she could barely choke it down. The water was sour and brackish, disgustingly warm to the tongue. Anna supposed she should have been grateful to have anything to eat at all. Starving to death was probably one of the worst ways to go.

That and being blinded to death. Ordered out without a moment to acclimatize, Anna could only squint at the sudden onslaught of light, instinctively raising a hand to block her eyes from the glare. One step outside, and she was struck by dizziness so strong she thought she might fall.

A strong hand took her arm, and Anna gratefully steadied herself with several long, deep breaths of frigid air. It burned in her lungs, but even so it helped. When she turned to her helper, she saw Kristoff smiling encouragingly. "Careful," Kristoff said, helping her take a few more wobbly steps. "Just look down for now, and I'll guide you."

"Thanks," Anna murmured, not quite able to dredge up the strength to speak louder.

Taking Kristoff's advice, Anna kept her eyes half-closed and stared at the ship deck when she walked. Slowly the searing light dimmed and the black spots left her vision, making her a little more confident if still exhausted. Anna tried lifting her head again, still squinting, but this time she saw her surroundings clearly and the incredulity of it forced her eyes wide open.

It was the midst of summer, but the Southern Isles was entirely covered in snow. Anna swiveled around, trying to look for anything _green_ in the barren fields of frozen, leafless trees. All she saw was white and gray under the harsh glare of the sun, a mind-boggling dichotomy of summer and winter. No wonder the sunlight had been so harsh, summer light reflecting off winter snow. All the waters, too, had chunks of ice drifting in the currents, and Anna finally noticed how the ships had been designed as icebreakers.

Anna wasn't quite sure how she had missed it before but it was _still _snowing, and hard, painfully strong gales whipping a mixture of snowflakes and hail about. When the freezing winds cut into her skin, each time it felt like an actual physical blow knocking out her breath.

"When you said no one knew what happened to the Southern Isles…"

"That's what I meant," Kristoff finished, cupping his hands to his mouth and then rubbing them together. "It's always like this here, a grand total of four seasons: first winter, second winter, third winter, and then my personal favorite, more winter."

Anna had been too shocked to immediately feel the cold, but now the chill began to seep into her bones and she realized she was still dressed for an Arendelle summer. "Did Elsa do this?" Anna muttered. She followed the procession getting off the ship, rubbing her bared arms to keep warm, but it did little to ward off the absolute cold.

"Who else, right?" Kristoff must have noticed her futile efforts, because he set his hat on her head. Anna gave him a grateful smile as he added, "It's been like this ever since I got here, but from what I hear, the Southern Isles has been frozen for more than ten years. And if you think this is cold, wait until you get to the castle."

Anna was just about to respond when Andersen ambushed them mid-route, appropriately dressed in skins and furs unlike everyone else there suffering the cold. Even then, his teeth were chattering and his cheeks were flushed from the icy wind. "Boy! Take the girl to the castle, and quickly. Remember to bring her to Elsa's wing! Bother no one else with her presence. Understood?"

"I understood the first time you told me," Kristoff said, earning a lash on the arm from Andersen's ever trusty whip, but he seemed too preoccupied to linger and dole out more punishment. After one last huff, he left to direct the other workmen in unloading.

Kristoff walked down the ship ramp first, helping Anna down the already slickening steps covered with the beginnings of frost. Together, they made their way past the frozen docks. Anna was faintly amused to see a sleigh waiting for them on the snow, pulled by a reindeer which looked oddly friendly, if that were even possible.

"You weren't kidding when you said there weren't necessarily horses," Anna said, climbing up onto the sleigh and shuffling closer to the lamp affixed to its side.

"Reindeer beat horses any day on snow. Isn't that right, Sven?" Kristoff grinned when the reindeer bobbed its head happily, and then he joined Anna, taking the reins. With a light tap, Sven began moving.

"We're going to the castle now, right?" Anna asked. Kristoff nodded, and she added, "So when you told Andersen you understood the _first _time…"

"I _am _under orders to take care of you for now," Kristoff admitted. "But it's not like I wasn't worried when you were in the hold! I mean, I'm serious, I tried to bust in a few times but I got caught, and–"

Anna immediately checked him over. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, nothing serious." Kristoff shrugged. "I hate to say it, but I usually get special treatment because I'm good with the reindeer and they need me if anything happens. Sven is my favorite though." As though understanding, Sven whinnied in acknowledgment.

They fell silent for the rest of the ride and Anna focused on retaining as much body heat as possible, curling up next to the lamp and rubbing her hands together. She winced when some of her wounds reopened, but disgusting as it was, the warm blood actually helped. Looking around, Anna again saw the frozen trees she observed from the ship; but up close, she could see how truly _dead _they were. Even the bark was gray, and what should have been thick trunks had been shrunken down into little more than twigs. Ice coated the bare branches, and Anna didn't see a single bird or squirrel anywhere.

Once they passed the outer gates, they entered the Southern Isles castle town. All the families here must have been forced to rebuild their homes, Anna realized. Snow never fell in the Southern Isles _naturally_, but all the houses she could see had been designed with slanted roofs so the snow would slide off. Even then, the massive quantity of snow left thick sheets of frost over the slick slate tiling. Windows were all closed and even barred, probably to fend against the violent wind.

And the streets were dead. Almost nobody roamed outside, and Anna couldn't blame them for wanting to escape the cold. The few people outside moved quickly and purposefully; but though they tilted their head down, Anna could see the displeasure written plain on their face. Nobody here was happy.

"We're here," Kristoff said, and Anna tore her gaze away from the villagers.

The inner castle gates opened of their own accord.

Kristoff drove the sleigh in, and Anna saw the castle for the first time.

An entire palace of ice was Anna's first disbelieving thought, but when she looked closer she saw the stone foundations lying behind a thin layer of protective ice, sapphire blue rather than transparent and so largely hiding the gray exterior. The original castle had been enfolded in ice and then, Anna thought, _perfected. _Magic sparkled on every surface, like a thin layer of diamonds. Spires, made purely of ice, reached toward the sky and cast an ethereal aurora of green and blue and purple on all the castle.

"It's beautiful," Anna breathed, forgetting for a moment her animosity towards all things of the Southern Isles and of Elsa. It was beautiful, hauntingly beautiful, but Anna couldn't help but think…

It felt so lonely.

* * *

"You've returned at last. I trust all went well?"

Elsa swept into the red-carpeted throne room with nary a glance at the Thirteenth Prince Hans. As she moved, the lit braziers lining both sides of the hall went out, one by one, extinguishing the mild reprieve they gave from her eternal winter. Elsa walked right past Hans to ascend the six steps at the far end of the hall and seat herself on her throne of ice. Only then did she finally deign to give him her attention, and from the raised dais she stared down at the nonplussed prince still smiling with perfect grace.

It was a subtle game of control they played. Hans made a show of bowing with his hand placed over his heart, the perfect picture of humility. It was not precisely feigned, but at the same time it was a gesture he granted and not one she took.

Elsa chose not to speak.

Hans didn't bat an eye at the slight, answering his own question so there would be no uncomfortable silence. "But of course, with Queen Regent Elsa personally venturing forth to smite our enemies, the Southern Isles cannot fail. Arendelle never stood a chance."

"Where are the others?" Elsa asked.

"Gustaf and Cyrus are participating in their usual pastime of chess, with Fabian presiding. Tobias is at his studies, and Alek and Alvard are hard at work in the training grounds. Stefan has locked himself in his room with his art, and Rafael, likewise, except with his music. I believe Saul to be working on new ship designs, and he's recruited Reid and Oliver. And Edmund…" Hans sighed as though greatly disappointed. "Well, Edmund is at the stables as usual, and I've had little luck convincing him otherwise."

Thirteen brothers Elsa had to watch over, but none of them were as elusive as the last. All the rest, Elsa could understand: some were pleased to hand over all responsibility to her, others were simply uncaring, and most were displeased that ruling power had been given to one not even of their blood. But Hans, Elsa couldn't read; Hans alone directly offered her allegiance, and so he often reported on the activities of the others. What Elsa really wanted was a report of _his. _

"And you, Hans? I trust you've been well?" Elsa asked. _What have you been plotting behind my back? What schemes have you come up with now? What new troubles have you caused?_

"As well as I could be," Hans said, but his eyes narrowed and his smile darkened. "And you, My Queen? I've heard of some interesting developments that took place in Arendelle."

Judging by the glint in his eye, Hans already knew exactly what had happened. Elsa didn't know where he got his information, but she didn't bother cutting corners. "Princess Anna of Arendelle is to be our guest, and I will not have her disturbed."

"And you think Father will approve?"

"I will personally explain everything to Markus," Elsa said, tone brokering no argument. Frost began to collect on the carpet tassels, but Hans had never paid her warnings heed.

"Of course, as you are the only one to ever have _contact_ with him since the day you arrived," Hans said, voice like silk and cream, deliberately placing such a miniscule teasing lilt on _contact _that Elsa could not punish him; and yet the inappropriate implications were clear.

"It does not surprise me, then, that you are so desperate for affection," Elsa said quietly. Hans froze, and Elsa added, "But then, being the youngest, I expect you were coddled anyway." Blatantly untrue.

It was always like this between them, amity and enmity balancing on a knife's edge, and the tiniest thing could tip the scales one way or another. But Hans would never risk open confrontation, so it was not a great surprise to Elsa when he changed the subject as though the entire exchange had never occurred, as though he had not implied her promiscuity and she had not jibed at his neglect.

Hans was the picture-perfect prince once more as he smiled and said, "Well, perhaps not _coddled_, but certainly comfortable. In other news, the situation in Corona…"

* * *

After being dropped off by Kristoff – who had needed to get back to the stables – Anna walked past several oddly outsized mounds of snow and then through the apparently unguarded grand doors, originally mahogany but now frozen over with a thin layer of blue ice. Even inside it was cold, but Anna was beginning to feel strangely hot anyway. Her first impression was that the inside of the palace was surprisingly similar to her own castle in Arendelle, furnished suits of armor and paintings of old people who Anna didn't recognize but assumed were the past rulers of the Southern Isles.

Three halls branched from the circular space where she stood, one on each side and one straight ahead, and built into the wall was a spiraling staircase of pale wood leading upstairs. Anna didn't have a chance to explore even if she had the inclination to, because a servant had immediately whisked her off down the right hall and up a different set of stairs to where she was told was Elsa's wing of the castle.

Anna thought she would have known even without being told, because as soon as she passed through yet another grand door, it felt rather like passing through the threshold to a different world. She never knew _ice _could have a smell, but here she could smell a crisp, chill freshness in the air, just the tiniest bit dryer than anywhere else but immediately noticeable.

Well, the wonder had faded a little when she was left alone and very rudely told to just _wait_.

More than an hour later sitting in the almost bare waiting hall, Anna started to think Elsa brought her here just to play mind games. And strangely, despite the ever-present chill that Anna knew was there, she had stopped feeling cold, maybe had done so for a longer time than she even realized. She felt hot, too hot, and she felt herself sweating at the back of her neck. Her mouth felt dry and her lips were chapped, and before too long she felt her throat tighten uncomfortably.

"Queen Regent Elsa requests your presence at the dining hall."

And so Anna let herself be dragged off yet again through a set of doors and then unceremoniously pushed into the dining hall.

Elsa was already seated there at the ridiculously long table, and once again Anna found herself struck by her beauty. An intricately carved candle holder in the middle of the table was probably more to provide light than any sort of romantic atmosphere, but the way the flickering lights illuminated Elsa's pale skin made Anna stop to stare.

Until Elsa took one look at her and frowned, eyes roving her body from head to toe.

"What's with that look?" Anna scowled back, and Elsa blinked.

To Anna's surprise, Elsa stood from her seat and crossed the distance between them in a few quick strides, still obviously scrutinizing her. She was too shocked to resist when Elsa took her hands – Elsa was wearing gloves, Anna noticed, light blue ones reaching up to her elbow and matching her dress in color but not in feel – and examined them too.

"I am very sorry," Elsa said quietly, and she did nothing when Anna wrenched her hands away. "I hoped you would not be mistreated, but…"

"Yeah, right," Anna snorted.

"It was an oversight on my part. I assure you it will not happen again while you are here," Elsa said. She walked back to the table and pulled out the chair on the other end from where she sat, and it took Anna a moment to realize Elsa was actually waiting for her to sit down. Knowing it was childish but thinking Elsa might pull the chair out from under her or something, Anna carefully seated herself.

Lips twitching upwards a little when she saw Anna eyeing her warily, Elsa went back to the other end. Anna stared at her again and Elsa stared back, neither saying a word, and then Anna noticed for the first time how Elsa seemed not to need to breathe. It was weird. Anna actually timed it in her head, and for a full twenty seconds Elsa was as still as unbreathing stone. Until, finally, just like that time in Arendelle, Elsa spoke first and broke the silence.

"Please, eat." Elsa swept her hand out towards the platters of delicious looking food, but one look and Anna immediately lost any appetite she might have had.

"You took all this from Arendelle." Anna could recognize those delicacies any day. The Southern Isles wasn't capable of producing any of this.

"Yes," Elsa said, sounding honestly confused as to why Anna was practically shaking with rage. "I'm sorry, I wasn't sure of your preferences and thought you might enjoy familiar food from home. If you'd prefer, I can have the kitchens prepare something else–"

"No." Scowling and making sure to flout every rule of etiquette Pappa had ever taught her, Anna started eating. Like a true barbarian, she stuffed food in her face and used all the wrong utensils.

When Anna looked up, she grew even more frustrated to see Elsa just watching her, obviously amused. It was unbelievably annoying to see Elsa with a delicate eyebrow arched upwards as though she just didn't care.

"What are you looking at?"

"You," Elsa said unabashedly, taking up a glass of wine and swishing the red liquid around as Anna fumbled for words.

Anna had to fight to hold back her stammer, but still her voice left shakily and Anna wanted to rip her hair out for sounding so nervous. She _was_, but that was no reason to sound like a chipmunk. "And what can be so interesting about me anyway?"

Elsa didn't say anything, only resumed staring.

Anna thought she should try asking in another way, but she didn't come up with much when she could feel Elsa's gaze so strongly it almost had a physical presence on her skin. Seeing as being a pig didn't seem to disturb Elsa much, Anna slowly chewed through the six potato cubes in her mouth, swallowed, and then muttered, "You're creepy."

Elsa only apologized, _again_, and averted her eyes as though embarrassed, and Anna honestly had no idea how to respond. She hadn't been expecting _the _Queen Elsa – or Queen Regent, whatever – to be so demure about everything. Remembering how Elsa had ordered her father around back in Arendelle, Anna could barely reconcile that authoritative queen to the quiet person watching her eat right now.

"Why aren't you eating?" Anna asked, noticing how Elsa really _only _watched her eat and never touched her own plate. This food better not have been poisoned.

"I have no need for it," Elsa said.

"You mean right now, or ever?" Anna grumbled.

Elsa made that tiny twitch of her lips and looked away, but she didn't respond. Anna watched as she delicately rearranged her napkin over her lap and began to eat. Or, well, more like cut up her food and never actually put it in her mouth. After a while of puzzling over her strange behavior, Anna decided to forget about it and just continued eating, albeit at a much slower pace. Truth was, after her confinement on the ship the meal was heavenly. She wanted to savor whatever bit of home she could find in this godforsaken place.

…Home.

"Why did you want me here?" Anna asked, the question having been on her mind since that last day of freedom in Arendelle. What had made Elsa decide to pull her away from her home?

Elsa was pretending to take an especially long sip of wine, but Anna could see that her throat wasn't even moving; and even before, Elsa had only ever swished the wine around, never drank from it. She was obviously stalling, though Anna didn't know for what. When the silence had stretched on so long it became practically suffocating, Elsa finally put down the glass.

"You told me that I could not rule without knowing your culture," Elsa said softly. "So I brought you here in the hopes that you could educate me about Arendelle."

"Wait a minute. That's all?" Anna kept staring when Elsa seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then nodded. Anna couldn't believe it. She had to ask again. "You brought me here so I could tell you about Arendelle." Elsa nodded one more time. Anna swallowed thickly and tried to breathe.

"Is something wrong…?"

"Of course something is wrong! It's – I don't even – I can't believe you! Something is really wrong with _you_!" Anna screamed, feeling a surge of heady heat rush to her head when she sprang to her feet, the chair falling backwards to the floor with a thud.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand–"

"Stop apologizing!" Anna slammed her hands on the table, anger fueling past the pain of her cracked skin, anger only fueled by the reminder of her torment. "You can't even understand why I'm upset? I was forced to leave my friends and my family to tell _you_,about _my _kingdom, that _you _subjugated?"

It was becoming hard to breathe. The world was spinning and her thoughts were scrambled, flighty, like elusive little lights she couldn't ever hold onto. Anna shook her head to no avail, only earning splitting pain lancing through her temple, and the world spun even more until her stomach churned. She had felt hot before. She was burning now.

Elsa rushed over just as Anna collapsed in a dead faint.

* * *

She really should have noticed earlier, but she herself never succumbed to illness and of course the cold never bothered her in the slightest. Elsa thrived in the cold, _was _the cold personified. Elsa never thought about how easily other people might fall victim to wind chill, especially Anna, unused to hardship and already weak and malnourished.

It was just lucky she wore her gloves as a precaution. Without even thinking, Elsa had caught Anna as she fell. Only after did she realize how dangerous that could have been, how easily she could have killed the girl otherwise. Elsa immediately called servants to bring Anna to her room, and they gingerly took her while doing their absolute best to avoid touching any part of Elsa. Everyone knew it was dangerous to get too close.

Elsa stayed behind for a little while, opting to look at the wasted meal and give herself a moment to calm down. She couldn't remember the last time she had touched someone.

And she still needed to report to Markus.

But not right now. Elsa knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate enough, not when the thought of Anna was still at the forefront of her mind.

She opened the door to her bedroom and found Anna lying in bed, and though Anna was the one lying ill, Elsa thought she looked more alive than she herself would ever be: skin flushed with color, entire body emanating heat, gasps for air undeniable proof of the heart beating in her chest. Elsa walked closer. Though Anna stirred fitfully, pushing the blankets away and curling inwards, she had no awareness at all.

Elsa saw the sweat matting Anna's hair to her forehead. Prepared on the nightstand was a towel and bowl of water, and for once Elsa willed her powers to remain dormant as she dipped the towel in. To her relief, the water did not freeze, and nor did the towel become crusted with frost. Elsa pressed it against Anna's forehead, but the girl squirmed uncomfortably until it slipped off.

So she tried again, with similar results. Every time, Anna would groan unintelligible, desperate whispers, and Elsa became more and more lost.

"Are you feeling any better?" Elsa asked.

Anna choked out a weak, "Hot."

Finally, Elsa lifted her hand, took off her glove, and pressed her bare skin against Anna's forehead.

Anna calmed and slept through the night.


	4. Black Ice

**a/n: **I am very sorry about the delay and email spam you're all no doubt getting. This chapter was eaten while the site had a few bugs the other day; I've been trying to repost with no results. Thank you for understanding. And as usual, thank you for all your reviews! It's very motivating. More hints about Markus and Elsa in this chapter, so any theories? ...Elsa's not a vampire, LOL.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Black Ice**

Anna woke slowly, as though coming out of a comfortable dream still gently holding on. She floated on the edge of consciousness at first, barely even recognizing she was awake, but bit by bit her senses returned to her and she realized just how well-rested she felt. With her eyes still closed, Anna stretched out her whole body. The painful kinks in her back and shoulders had all been worked out overnight. Body no longer feverish and mind clear of fuzzy thoughts, she felt lighter and finally herself again.

And she was so comfortable. Anna couldn't bear to open her eyes just yet, bundled in warm blankets as soft as feathers against her skin while drinking in the crisp morning air. She couldn't hold back a wide smile from growing on her face, and she snuggled deeper into the blankets tightly clutching a pillow as she always did. Only _not _as she always did. Only then, when she felt the jarringly different weight and feel, did Anna remember her predicament. She wasn't home in Arendelle. Smile slipping, Anna's recollection of last night returned, and her relaxed mood shifted to confusion.

She was surprised she hadn't been tossed in the dungeons or something for her outburst.

Opening her eyes, Anna was even more surprised to see a head of platinum-blonde hair on her bedside.

Elsa was sitting at the edge of the bed, looking to be fast asleep with her head down. Vaguely, Anna remembered fainting and being caught by Elsa. Had she really taken care of her the whole night? Anna stared at the still form of the Snow Queen, once again completely confused. And this was probably _her _bedroom, judging from the décor and the crystalline crown sitting on a desk not far away. Anna looked around to see white and blue everywhere: white walls trimmed with blue, blue sheets bordered by white, assorted furniture with the same color scheme.

But there really wasn't anything else. Compared to Anna's own room in Arendelle, Elsa's room was bare of anything revealing her personality, unless she was just an automaton. No baubles, no trinkets of any kind, not even a single thing out of place in the perfectly orderly room. The only thing even remotely strange was probably Elsa sitting on the side of her own bed –

Anna bit back a gasp of surprise when Elsa turned her head to the side and her face became visible. Feeling her heart pound, Anna leaned in closer and studied her features, morbidly curious. The first thing she noticed was – _Elsa had freckles. _Just a light dusting of it and almost invisible even against her milky skin, but _still_, Elsa had _freckles. _Anna shook her head, probably more amused than the discovery warranted. _Freckles_, like someone as ordinary as herself. Asleep, Elsa looked much less tense, her usually stiffened features relaxed, and somehow the thought that Elsa even needed to sleep at all made her seem more human.

"Elsa," Anna said timidly, oddly unwilling to wake the queen.

Elsa immediately woke with a start, eyes snapping open so abruptly Anna jerked back in reflex. Icy blue eyes glared up without recognition, slightly glazed with sleep but reflecting a tempest of barely restrained violence. Then the moment passed. The onslaught of cold retreated. The danger faded. Anna watched shakily as Elsa seemed to come back to her senses, eyes calming once she recognized her.

"Anna," Elsa said, slowly and just as shakily as Anna felt right then. "I apologize, I'm not used to sleeping for so long. Or waking up with someone nearby, I didn't realize–"

"I-It's fine!" More to get off the subject than anything, Anna asked, "Were you…here the whole night?"

Elsa nodded, composure returning now that she seemed to have calmed down. "You had a fever. I didn't have a suitable room prepared for you yet, so I brought you to mine. If you don't mind, you can rest here for now."

"Oh. Thank you," Anna murmured. It was weird. Whenever she was around Elsa and not angry with her for whatever reason, being anywhere even remotely close to the queen made her jittery and unable to keep still. Swallowing nervously, Anna brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

And realized she must look like a complete idiot right then.

Anna's hands flew up to her head, and she released a loud groan at the familiar feeling of her hair puffed out into a huge, bushy, tangled mess like a mane all around her. Trying to force it down with no success, Anna eventually gave up, wishing she could hide in a hole somewhere; but when she noticed Elsa hiding a smile behind her hand, Anna glowered. Of course, Elsa would look perfect right after waking up. Not a strand of her platinum hair was out of place. It was ridiculous. How did her bangs even stay up through the night?

"I see you smiling over there," Anna grumbled. When she moved to get out of bed and tried to push off on her hands, she fell back down with a hiss of pain.

Elsa sobered in a flash. "Wait here."

As Elsa left the room to get _something_, Anna examined her hands. She hadn't noticed before but the cracked skin was still an ugly raw red, and now she was starting to feel the same dull pain on her half-healed ankles too. Elsa came back in with a handful of supplies, laying them out on the bedside table.

"Let me see your hands," Elsa said, and Anna dutifully held them up. She took one in her own gloved hands, reaching for a piece of gauze and a bowl smelling strongly of disinfectant.

Far more gently than Anna had been expecting, Elsa ran it over the raw skin. Immediately, her body tensed and a small cry forced its way past her lips. Anna had to fight not to pull away and squeezed her eyes shut.

"I'm sorry. I know it must hurt, but it has to be done." Feeling Elsa rub the back of her hand with a thumb, earnestly trying to ease her pain, Anna lifted her eyes, just looking at her through the hair that had fallen over her eyes. Elsa apologized too much. Anna might really start believing she meant them at this rate. "It might help to talk about something," Elsa said.

"There's one thing I was sorta curious about," Anna admitted. "Why do you wear gloves? Not that it looks bad or anything, just, uh, it doesn't seem to match all that well, and you usually…do match. I mean, I didn't see you wearing them before."

"My powers make it dangerous for me to have contact with anyone," Elsa said, continuing to wipe her hands and then switching to wrapping them in bandages. "I thought it would be best to wear gloves while around you." She stopped and frowned. "Markus would not approve."

"Markus…?" Memories of her lessons came back, and though Anna had never paid much attention to the stuffy teachers, this at least she remembered. "You mean King Markus? Of the Southern Isles?" Well, of course, Anna thought right after saying it. It sounded dumb even to her.

_No, of the _Northern _Isles. Of course the Southern Isles!_

She was grateful when Elsa just nodded, choosing not to point out the egregious gaffe and let her keep some small shred of her dignity. As much of it as she could have, anyway, sitting there with bedhead and being attended to like a kid.

After she had wrapped both her hands, Elsa tossed the bloody gauze in an empty bowl. Even while she went back to the counter and rummaged for more supplies, Elsa watched from the corner of her eye as Anna inspected the bandage, poking at the soft linen. "You have to leave it alone, or it won't heal," Elsa said gently. She sat back down in front of Anna. "Can you sit on the edge of the bed, please?"

Anna cringed and lowered her hands guiltily, then shuffled over so her legs dangled off the bedside. "Oh, right. Anyway, not to sound rude or anything, but isn't King Markus your father? So why do you call him…?" And isn't he _dead_, Anna wanted to ask, but that was too insensitive even for her.

"I am not of his blood," Elsa said, entirely matter-of-fact like it made perfect sense she was somehow queen while not being blood-related to the previous king. Doing much the same for her ankles as she had her hands, Anna just now realized that the _Queen of the Southern Isles_, the person who had singlehandedly conquered Arendelle,was personally treating her wounds. And incredibly gently at that.

God, it was hard to keep hating her when she was so nice like this. Anna had to remind herself that she hated Elsa, and talking to her so casually should be out of the question.

"Couldn't you have had someone else do this?" Anna asked, trying her hardest to dig up the righteous fury she had felt just the previous night and harden her voice again.

Elsa stiffened. "I could have, but I thought it my responsibility that you were mistreated."

"Yeah, I noticed you really need to work on that. You know how much your own soldiers talk about you behind your back?" Feeling a strange mixture of satisfaction and guilt at the increasing discomfort on Elsa's usually controlled features, Anna asked, "Having a tough time keeping people under control?"

"Quite frankly, yes."

Well, that escalated quickly.

"And you're okay with this."

"If things go well," Elsa said, slowly, as though careful not to divulge too much, "I think I need not be ruler for much longer." Before Anna could ask any more about the frustratingly cryptic answer, she added, "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Anna had barely noticed Elsa finishing up with her ankles, so gently had she done it all. "Oh, uh, no, I don't think so. I mean, I have some bruises here and there, but it's not a big deal, I'm actually really clumsy so I'm used to it. I'm rambling. I'm fine." She gingerly hopped off the bed to prove it.

"In that case, I'll order breakfast be brought to you. In the meantime, I have some duties to attend to," Elsa said. "Feel free to explore the castle at your leisure."

"What, no guards to watch me, or, I dunno, some snowmen? Nothing? Really?" Anna had expected to be a prisoner here, and instead she had so far been treated to a ginormous meal, a luxurious bedroom, and even personal care from Elsa. And she could just roam around freely?

"Really. I assume you will have no desire to steal anything," Elsa said, a tiny smile twitching at the corner of her lips. Anna couldn't even tell if she was joking.

"For all you know, I could be some sort of closet kleptomaniac," Anna mumbled. "But all right, I'll do that. Explore, I mean! Not steal. I don't steal."

Elsa nodded, but her smile fell when she amended, "Except you must remember never to enter the uppermost tower, which is out of bounds for everyone, not just you. The consequence of trespassing would be…dire and unpleasant."

"…You're kidding, right?" Just the way Elsa said that, if it were anyone else Anna might have thought they were being funny. When Elsa only blinked, Anna remembered that it was very unlikely for the stone-faced queen to make a joke about hidden castle vampires or anything of the sort. "All righty then, uppermost tower, no go."

"I should also warn you about…" Elsa grimaced and shook her head. "No, forget it."

"Wait, no, tell me." If something warranted worry from Elsa, Anna thought, she should probably know about it.

"I do not want to prejudice you against anyone here," Elsa said. "But remember that there are those who wish you ill, and not all of them will be obvious about their intentions."

With that last haunting message, Elsa left the room.

* * *

It was strange, caring for Anna.

Elsa didn't understand these strange emotions she suddenly felt after so many years of isolation. She only knew that Anna was warm and so full of life, the exact opposite of her, and Anna was the only one to be unafraid of her powers. She could say it all she wanted that she kept Anna around to learn about Arendelle, but truth was, Elsa had been captivated the moment Anna met her eyes in challenge.

And she could _touch _her.

It still scared her to think of how impulsive it had been to place her bare skin against Anna last night. She had acted entirely on instinct, and the fact that Anna had not frozen to death was a miracle in and of itself. It had been years since Elsa felt human contact at all, and even more years since she had done so without the barrier of her gloves. Feeling the heat of Anna's flushed skin against hers…

If it weren't impossible, Elsa might have thought her heart skip a beat.

But Anna would have to wait. Elsa ascended the spiraling staircase of crystallized ice, feeling the cold steps respond to her touch with singing glee, their content humming ringing in her head as though welcoming her home. She had spent hours here, pouring all of her magic into the creation of this single staircase. Up above, at the height of the palace of ice…

At the top of the staircase was a door made of flawless ice, and where Elsa placed her hand upon the mirror-like surface, a single vein grew. Quickly, like time fast-forwarded, the vein spread into a sprawling spider web of cracks, until the entire door shattered into thousands of pieces to the floor. As Elsa walked past the shards, the ice reformed behind her and sealed the entrance.

In the circular chamber of glassy blues and brilliant whites, Elsa knelt on one knee and waited. She couldn't help glancing up at the chandelier where she knew _it _was contained, delicately carved blades of ice forming an intricate and perfect fractal. It was beautiful, flawless, but sometimes Elsa thought about it when she couldn't sleep at night, couldn't feel like any normal human being, and she wondered if she was missing something.

But it was too late to wonder, so Elsa looked back down and straight ahead.

"Markus." Little more needed to be said in words. Her thoughts transmitted themselves through the air and through the ice, and in seconds the king knew everything that he needed to know.

It was only a semi-conscious that responded, not so much with words as with feelings and impressions, and it was not a voice but a presence larger and deeper, intimidating in its sheer scale. Even still Elsa rejoiced in the presence, so familiar to her and comforting as it always was, enshrouding her in its dark warmth and care.

**_Gloves. Remember. Lesson._**

Elsa stripped her gloves off quickly. "Release, let free. There are no limits." That was her creed. Markus had been the one to teach her not to fear her powers, to let them rage freely. She was a force of nature, Markus had told her, and not something meant to be restrained by man.

**_Presence. Danger. Purge._**

"Princess Anna of Arendelle," Elsa said, raising her head and mouth drying at the thought of killing Anna. "She is no danger. I only thought she was of interest, so I–"

**_Rebirth. Cleansing. Haste._**

"I have not forgotten. Soon, it will be possible." Elsa closed her eyes in relief as she felt approval surge through their link. "I desperately need your guidance, Markus, this burden is becoming too much. Things were much simpler while you were still here."

**_Strength. Will. Persevere._**

"I understand," Elsa said quietly. It would not be too long now.

She just had to bear through.

* * *

After a hearty breakfast in bed served by the chef, the jolliest fat man Anna had ever seen – or the fattest jolly man – she decided to take up Elsa's offer and explore the castle. Not like she had much else to do. And it might have been assumption on her part, but she trusted that nothing would happen to her now that Elsa had made that promise. Bundled up in warm clothing as though she were heading outside, Anna roamed the frigid castle.

There weren't very many servants, especially not in Elsa's wing. The few that Anna did encounter walked quickly and silently, though it seemed more expected of them than their natural demeanor. When she accosted a maid, practically pouncing on the poor woman, she had cracked a genuine smile when faced with Anna's infectious cheer. It amused Anna to no end when, asking about the castle's general layout, she figured out that Elsa had an entire wing to herself while thirteen princes shared one.

"Does she have a thing about germs?" Anna asked, thinking it would fit the fastidious queen to be a germaphobe. "Oh wait, I forgot they're not related. I guess it wouldn't be proper."

"Yes," said the maid, but she added in a low whisper, "Queen Elsa's powers, too. Of course no one would want to be around her."

As the maid went back to her work, she left Anna standing there oddly displeased. Explained the lack of staff, then, and the way everyone avoided Elsa like she had the plague. Was it even fair, though…?

Anna shook her head. What wasn't fair was someone abusing their powers to conquer perfectly benign kingdoms, and if no one wanted to have contact with them, well, that was their fault. Deciding to visit Kristoff – the only person she even knew around here – and determined to put the whole ordeal behind her, Anna made her way back to the grand doors and swung them open.

Still snowing lightly outside, but Anna wouldn't be surprised if it always snowed here. Nothing had pointed otherwise so far. Wrapping her coat tighter around herself, she ventured out into the cold and doubled back around to the stables. Not very different from her own in Arendelle, a large barn made of masonry and wood, and the only difference, Anna assumed, would be an abundance of reindeer rather than horses. Even from afar she could smell them, a sort of pungent stink that was simultaneously appalling and charming. It just seemed so alive, in this kingdom of ice, to have something that actually stank.

"I am so weird," Anna said to herself. Who in their right mind liked smelly things? She closed her eyes and shook her head at herself.

"Hey! Watch out!" Anna opened her eyes just in time to see what she initially thought was an avalanche rushing towards her, but was really a white horse powering through the snow. Whoever the rider was pulled back on the reins as hard as he could, but he was going too fast to stop completely. Throwing up a wave of white powder as it jerked back, the horse smashed into her with its flank.

It wasn't terribly painful but the impact still knocked Anna down to the ground, and she fell with a loud shriek as snow piled down her shirt.

"You need to watch where you're going!" Anna sat up and brushed herself off, and then stretched out her shirt a little so snow fell out. Looking to the cause of their traffic accident, she was about to launch into a huge tirade when–

_Oh, he's dreamy._

"I'm so sorry. Are you hurt?" The rider got off his horse and extended a hand to help her up. Tall and fair-skinned, perfectly styled auburn hair with sideburns, and best of all, he had the brightest green eyes Anna had ever seen.

Much gentler, Anna said, "Hey. I, uh, no, I'm okay." She took his hand and got to her feet, staring at his eyes the whole time. They were kind, warm, their verdant color reminding her of leaves and all things spring, and it was a welcome relief.

"I'm Prince Hans. I don't recognize you. Are you a new workhand, or…?"

"Oh, I'm Princess Anna, of Arendelle." Immediately, her estimate of Hans rose. Judge a person based on how they treat their inferiors, Pappa had told her, and if Hans had been this kind while thinking she was just a hired hand, she felt him a trustworthy person.

"Princess…? My Lady." Hans gave her a deep bow, a courtesy Anna had not been treated to in quite some time.

"I don't think that's really necessary, considering Arendelle is subject to the Southern Isles," Anna said, not bothering to hide the tinge of bitterness in her voice.

Hans straightened but lowered his head. "I cannot express my regret over Elsa's actions. Truly, none of us wanted this." He waved a hand out, indicating the winter all around them. No doubt noticing Anna's shivering, he shrugged off his coat and placed it over her shoulders, then gestured towards the castle. "Let's get back inside."

Forgetting about Kristoff for now in favor of warmth, Anna followed Hans back in. They were in a different part of the castle than she was used to, a sort of commons area likely part of the left wing belonging to the thirteen princes. Here, the decorations were much warmer in color. Compared to Elsa's white and blue, this place was practically bursting with color: strange and slightly tacky paintings, like a bowl of misshaped fruit; sofas, posh with spiraled armrests but still looking comfy and inviting; and lush, fuzzy carpet instead of polished floor that Anna had strongly suspected was some form of ice.

"Our humble abode," Hans confirmed.

"So there are really thirteen of you?" Anna couldn't help but ask.

"Not all from the same mother," Hans said. When Anna wrinkled her nose in distaste, Hans smiled self-depreciatingly. "Yes, polygamy is unfortunately popular here, especially for the king."

"That's sort of gross." Anna widened her eyes when she realized what she had just implied. "Not that I think your father is – I mean, I sort of did, but I didn't mean to insult him!"

Hans laughed, a rich, deep noise reminding Anna of chocolate. "No, I agree. Forgive me for being forward, but I think love should be a thing between two people only. Polygamy is a very antiquated system that ought to be abolished. There's been very many misunderstandings because of it."

"No, I totally agree!" Anna said. "But, uh, misunderstandings?"

"As you can imagine, there were some nasty rumors when Elsa showed up, but Father insisted she was not born of him." Hans shrugged. "Well, the rumors became even nastier after that."

Anna furrowed her brow. "What do you – _oh_. You mean people thought they were – involved?" Wow. That was a really gross thought, considering even the youngest of the king's thirteen children was around Elsa's age, and the eldest no doubt significantly older. Oh, God. Just thinking about it made Anna want to shrivel up and die.

"Only rumors, of course," Hans said quickly, averting his eyes and nervously picking at his jacket. "I'm sorry for even bringing it up, I really shouldn't have said anything–"

"…You're not sure if they're only rumors," Anna said. Hans might have thought he was covering it up, but it was pretty obvious to her that his good intentions hid how unsure he was. But still, it was very kind of him to say otherwise.

Slowly, Hans nodded. Immediately after, he exhaled a long breath and shook his head. "I would like to believe the best, but with Father's sudden disappearance and Elsa suddenly crowning herself Queen Regent, no one truly knows."

"That does sounds…suspicious."

"Doesn't it?" Hans continued speaking, quickly, rushed, like the words had always been trapped with no outlet until now. "I've known Elsa for years, and of course I wouldn't want to believe that anything underhanded took place. But this eternal winter, and her policy of conquest…I don't believe Father would have supported either of those things."

So, just as Anna had observed, no one here liked the winter. And she had witnessed for herself how Elsa could instantly thaw Arendelle, so why didn't she do that here? Was she really a tyrant oppressing the Southern Isles, or…? Anna's head hurt just thinking about it. She rubbed her temples tiredly.

"I shouldn't have said so much," Hans said apologetically, leading Anna to sit on one of the couches nearby. "It's just that I don't very often have the chance to. To be honest, you're one of the first people I've met that I can talk so freely to."

"I understand." Anna grinned and Hans likewise smiled widely, green eyes brightening with delight.

They spent hours just sitting and talking like old friends.


	5. Thundersnow

**Chapter 5: Thundersnow**

"Done with your groveling?" Alvard asked, not sparing a glance in Hans' direction as he sat at his velvet-covered chair and polished his sword in the dark of his room. All the window blinds were down, leaving only the barest rays of light to filter through the spaces between wooden slats alternating black and brown. Darkness only made the wicked longsword in his hand gleam brighter.

"I do what I must to survive," Has said easily. Without invitation, he leaned against the wall of the sixth prince's bedroom and looked out the corner of his eye to study his older brother's hawkish features. "I don't see any of the rest of _you _thanking me for my efforts in preserving us all."

"You think Elsa would do anything to us?" Alvard scoffed and swung his sword through the air, apparently not satisfied yet as he replaced it on a grinding stone.

"I think she is unpredictable." Hans smiled when Alvard paused for the slightest of moments before continuing to sharpen the longsword. "And unpredictable people are, unfortunately, beyond the scope of our control. We are not Father, after all."

It was too easy to manipulate even his brothers. Hans kept his eyes fixed on Alvard as they spoke, offering tiny tidbits of information in exchange for his, carefully gauging Alvard's reaction and filing them away in his mind. Furrowing of his heavy brow, clenching of his strong jaw, pursing of his thin lips, all as expected. One sore point common to many of his brothers – Elsa. Hans could make them do whatever he wanted if he linked it to the queen.

"Father made a mistake raising that wench," Alvard growled. Sparks flew with a dull screech from where he pushed too hard and his longsword dragged against stone. "She's out of control. She's forgotten what she's supposed to be doing while the rest of us suffer through her accursed winter."

"Ahh, you've heard about our new guest, Princess Anna."

"Obviously." Alvard abandoned the grindstone and sat down with a heavy scowl, continuing to polish with violent swipes of his hand. "What Elsa thinks her use will be, I dare not even imagine."

"She _is _very beautiful," Hans admitted, almost laughing at the disgust on Alvard's face. Oh, Anna. Hans almost felt sorry for taking advantage of someone so gullible, but a few hours and he had extracted every bit of information he needed. Elsa really needed to cover her tracks better, to allow such a glaring weakness to roam around freely where _anyone_ might strike.

"Ridiculous," Alvard muttered.

"It is not beyond someone as unnatural as Elsa," Hans said, carefully toning his voice to hesitance. Let Alvard think he was spineless. After years of being underestimated, Hans knew well the benefits of such. No one ever suspected him. "I have heard…well, perhaps I should remain silent."

"You have heard _what_, Hans? Speak up, or I will think you a sniveling woman. Do not bandy words here." Alvard thumbed the edge of his longsword in a manner Hans supposed was meant to be intimidating, but he only found it laughable.

"Well, Elsa personally took care of the girl…in her personal quarters, overnight. She did not even report to Father until this morning, _after _once again personally bandaging her wounds."

Instantly, Alvard tightened his grip on the sword until his knuckles turned white.

"I take my leave," Hans said, slowly retreating from the room, head bowed to hide his smile. Oh, it was too easy.

* * *

Anna did eventually make it to Kristoff, several hours later than intended but at least bearing gifts this time: some pastries she had swiped from the kitchens after Hans led her there for lunch and departed. Clutching the morsels tightly under her cloak and watching out for any charging horses this time around, Anna once again braved the snow and safely made it to the stables.

Shrugging off her heavy overcoat once entering the main barn, Anna took a quick look around. As expected, just an ordinary stable with two rows of stalls and a walkway in the middle, each stall filled with bales of hay and smelling even stronger of pungent animal now she was closer. She walked further in, looking over the stalls for Kristoff, until she heard voices in the back and stopped.

"Look, _no_, you'll be perfectly fine but I'll be thrown in the dungeons–"

"C'mon! Just once, I swear. If I don't say anything, and you don't say anything, who's going to know?"

The first voice she recognized, grumpy but subtly warm – Kristoff. The second voice, boyish and practically bursting with excitement as it pleaded, Anna was curious about. Taking the last few steps to the back end of the barn, Anna surprised both boys with a loud, "Guess who?"

Oddly, Kristoff gave a start and looked ready to bolt before realizing it was just her, clutching onto Sven and heaving a loud sigh. A shorter boy next to him laughed at his reaction, smile wide and toothy but aristocratic features still obvious: dark hair and pale skin, slender nose and high cheekbones, obviously the result of carefully selected marriage. Though he had his sleeves rolled up and his arms were plastered with what Anna thought was dirt, the fine material of his clothing betrayed his identity again.

"I'm guessing you don't usually work here," Anna said, and the boy nodded.

"Prince Edmund. I'm twelve." Edmund paused and widened his eyes, shaking his head frantically as Anna snickered. "No! Twelfth! I mean I'm twelfth in line, not that I'm twelve. Uhh. Who are you?"

"Princess Anna of Arendelle."

"Ohhh, you're that girl Elsa picked up." Before Anna could protest the labeling, Edmund stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you." But just as Anna prepared to take the proffered handshake, he jerked back; and for a moment she thought he was actually pretty nasty, until he smiled weakly and said, "Sorry. Umm, I don't know how to say this delicately, but what you're seeing on my hand isn't actually dirt."

Sven whinnied proudly.

"O-_Oh_." Anna unconsciously took a step back, but she was more amused than grossed out. They _were _in the stables. But for a prince to be perfectly okay with being covered in manure…

Edmund turned back to the now exasperated Kristoff and slapped him on the shoulder, leaving a long trail of brown over his shirt but ignoring his glower. "Right, Anna. Since you're here, you can help me convince this lug to let me help on deliveries."

"Deliveries?" Anna asked.

Kristoff cleared his throat. "We have weekly deliveries of supplies to all the families out in town. Of course, our _prince_ isn't allowed to come. I could already get in trouble just letting him help around here."

"Why not?" Edmund asked, but very much like Anna thought she would do, he cut off Kristoff's answer and spoke over his groan. "Okay, listen. These are my people, right? I'm their prince, so I have a responsibility to help out."

"And I have a responsibility to make sure you don't get hurt, or that's _on my head_." Kristoff crossed his arms and glared down at the boy in the strangest reversal of royalty and commoner, and Anna felt her head spin when Kristoff added, "And that's final," with seemingly legitimate authority.

"You stink, both literally and metaphorically," Edmund said.

Anna couldn't help giggling, and they both looked towards her with matching glares. Practically feeling the hostility burning on her skin, Anna held out her hands in mock-surrender. "I agree that Kristoffer stinks, but maybe you really shouldn't do these deliveries."

"It's Kristoff."

"Shut up, Kristoffer." As Kristoff threw his hands up and fumed, Edmund looked back to Anna. "But why not? I'm serious, I want to do this. It's the right thing to do."

"I know, but it's not really fair to Kristoff though," Anna said, holding in a smile as Edmund grumbled. She felt immediate rapport with the boy, so open with his emotions and obviously eager to be helpful. It was the strangest thing, and she found herself talking to him like he was much younger until she realized something very, very weird. "Wait. How are you older than Hans?"

"I'm older by, like, three days." Edmund shrugged off the whole different mother thing as common business; but then he grimaced, wrinkling his nose as though the mere thought of Hans could actually be worse than the odor of the stables. "Oh. Hans. So you've met him, huh?"

Anna looked from Edmund to Kristoff and back. "Is there something wrong?"

"I can't say anything personally," Kristoff said, and he turned back to Sven, offering him half a carrot and eating the rest.

"He's not the worst, but I just don't like him much. Vibes, you know," Edmund said, with a note of finality like that was self-explanatory.

Anna frowned. "That's not really a good reason to dislike somebody. Hans is a nice guy."

"You'd be surprised how often vibes are accurate," Edmund said, smiling with easy confidence. "Gut instinct is an awesome thing, appearances can fool your eyes but not your gut. Like, I get good vibes from _you_, so I'm sure you're a good person. Am I right? Are you a good person?"

"Would anyone say otherwise?" Anna asked.

"I did," Kristoff said. "I told him to bug off, but then he kept coming around the stables trying to steal a reindeer and I eventually let him stick around. Better to know where he is so he doesn't get hurt."

"Actually, I should probably head back before anyone notices," Edmund said. He shook his arms, and Anna dodged the flying missiles of manure. "It was nice meeting you, Anna. See you around."

"Bye!" Only when Edmund had left the barn did Anna remember. "Damn, I should have asked him about Elsa. Good vibes or bad vibes?" She laughed again at the strange system, but she guessed it worked well enough for Edmund. Anna wondered if that really worked, if judging people based on vibes could be accurate. As for Elsa…

Kristoff stepped out of the stall after giving Sven one last pat on the head, and Anna followed him as he rinsed his hands off in a bucket standing in the walkway. "So…you're curious about Elsa now?"

"I just want to know more about my kidnapper! There's nothing strange," Anna said, bristling over the knowing tone in Kristoff's voice. "So what do you think about her?"

"Of course not." Kristoff rose and flicked his hands dry. "And I really can't tell you much. I'm just a prisoner of war, remember? All I can tell you is that Elsa was the one to propose giving out supplies. And, you know, Edmund's system really isn't all that bad. What do _you _think?"

Anna blinked.

If she were honest with herself, Elsa gave her good vibes.

She just didn't want to admit it.

* * *

Dinner the second night was more awkward than the first, probably because Anna couldn't muster up the same anger anymore and was left sitting there eating by herself as Elsa watched. Same long dining table separating them by a full three meters, same dead air.

"You're seriously not going to eat?" Anna asked.

"It's not necessary." Elsa tilted her glass and swirled the wine inside, bringing it up to her nose but never drinking it. "How is the food?"

"Oh, great." Anna stabbed at her home delicacies to prove her point. "We don't always have to have food from Arendelle though. Is that…why you're not eating?" Right after the words left her mouth Anna flushed, realizing she made it sound like Elsa got this food specifically for her.

"No, but thank you for your concern. I'm glad you like it."

And Elsa didn't even deny it. Anna swallowed and bowed her head, eating a little faster to cover up her nervousness. She ended up choking on a particularly tough piece of lamb, doubling over as she coughed and coughing even harder when she tried to stop because God, it was embarrassing. Looking up with teary eyes, Anna saw Elsa gripping the arms of her seat like she was ready to get up and help, except she seemed torn and ended up helplessly looking around.

"Are you all right?" Elsa asked.

Anna was slightly comforted by the fact that Elsa could be awkward too.

"Fine! I'm fine," Anna said, thumping her chest a few times and clearing her throat once or twice. It sounded gross, but there really wasn't a way around it.

Elsa nodded and played with her wine some more. Probably feeling the awkward atmosphere just as much as Anna, she asked hesitantly, "Will you…tell me about Arendelle? If you don't mind. I know it may be a subject of sensitivity."

Remembering how she had flown into a rage just the other night, Anna wondered why she was so okay with this now. Vibes, maybe. Optimism, maybe. It wasn't like she could do anything to change her situation, and at least she might be able to do some good for Arendelle if she could get through to Elsa. Or something like that. Whatever. That _was _why she had come in the first place, for Arendelle.

"I don't mind," Anna said finally. "What do you want to know?"

"Anything. Whatever comes to mind, I'll be glad to hear it."

"Okay," Anna said, taking a deep breath in preparation. "Well. Arendelle's small, but the community is really tight-knit. I don't actually get to go out the castle much – Pappa's really overprotective – but whenever I do, everyone's really friendly. And not because I'm the princess! You'd be surprised how many people don't recognize me. I'm completely ordinary, so–"

"I don't think you are." Anna blinked at Elsa's pointed interruption, but she had gone quiet again.

"…R-Right, thanks." A little flustered, Anna scrambled for more to say. "Oh, the food is really great. Are you sure you won't try any?" Elsa shook her head, smiling. "All right, so maybe another time, when you're not, like, fasting. Umm, there are four seasons?" Anna winced at that one. Potentially offensive.

"I prefer winter," Elsa murmured, so quietly that Anna could barely catch it from across the table.

"I can see that," Anna said. Throwing caution to the wind, she added, "But you know, other seasons aren't all that bad. Might be a little toasty, but most people don't mind a little variety."

Elsa pursed her lips. "I know."

"So…have you thought about thawing the Southern Isles?" Anna asked. Elsa stayed silent, looking down so the light of the candles sent shadows flitting across her face. "It would be a pretty good change, and I think your people would be really grateful for it."

Elsa said nothing.

"Will you just at least think about it?" Growing more and more frustrated as Elsa continued to ignore her, as she continued to avoid eye-contact and refuse to speak, Anna felt her tone harshen against her will. "Listen, you might think the winter's great and all, but it's brutal out there–"

"That's enough, Anna," Elsa said at last. "I will act as I see fit."

It was the same tone of voice Elsa had used when confronting her father, imperious and carrying the slightest edge of a threat. Immediately Anna felt the same anger pulsing in her chest as her entire perception of Elsa reversed. She had almost managed to make herself forget until this reminder. Arendelle. Here she was, talking about Arendelle to its conqueror, and she had really managed to feel just a hint of, what, _acceptance_? Anna was disgusted with herself.

Hans was right. Elsa was just a tyrant.

"No, sorry, I'm not done," Anna retorted. "Because you're being ridiculous! Just because _you _prefer the winter, you're going to make an entire country suffer through it? Look around you! Do you think anyone likes having to deal with this? But I forgot, you _do _know people don't like you much."

Elsa flinched. If it were anyone else, Anna might have felt immediate guilt; but then, if it were anyone else, Anna would never have spoken with such venom anyway. Right then, she felt only vicious satisfaction at the hint of weakness.

"But you don't want people to hate you, right? That's why you pass out those supplies." Elsa widened her eyes by just a fraction, but it was confirmation enough. "Well, that's not enough, and it won't ever be. Maybe if you stopped this _cursed winter_, they wouldn't hate you so much–"

A gloved hand slammed against the table.

"I said, _enough_!" Elsa snapped. She raised her voice only a little, but it was the first time Anna saw her lose her calm. Cold snaked into the hall on a fell wind. Frost spread over the edges of the table. The dying candle flames flickered, until Elsa closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "Anna, I know, but I can't. I'm sorry, but this winter is truly out of my control. Please, let it be."

"…Fine," Anna said.

"I'm sorry for frightening you," Elsa said quickly, leaning forward a little. "I didn't mean–"

Anna shook her head. "Don't be sorry, I wasn't frightened. You're not as threatening as you think you are, Elsa, and I don't know why you try to be." She rose from the table, unable to stay any longer. She thought she might really try to hit Elsa at this rate, and the outcome definitely wouldn't be pretty.

"Wait, Anna–"

"I'm going to my room, if I have one," Anna said, meeting Elsa's gaze with challenge in her eyes. "Is that fine, or am I going to sleep in the dungeon? I don't mind. I've done it before, thanks to you."

Elsa broke eye-contact first. "A room has been prepared for you. Someone will lead you to it." Anna nodded and turned on her heel, ready to leave. From behind, she heard Elsa murmur, "I am truly sorry."

"I'm not sure who you're trying to convince," Anna said without looking back. "But if you say that enough, you might really start believing it."

She swung the doors open and left.

* * *

It had been a total of three days since coming to the Southern Isles, and after that disastrous dinner Anna only grew more and more confused about the enigma that was Elsa.

All right, so Elsa had conquered Arendelle. That was something Anna wouldn't be forgetting any time soon. All right, so Elsa inexplicably froze the Southern Isles too and seemingly refused to thaw her own kingdom even though everybody hated it. Anna made a few guesses why, each more improbable than the last. And all right, so Elsa had some strange connection with the nowhere-to-be-seen King Markus, which may or may not have been insidious in nature. Anna didn't even _try _guessing about that one.

But Elsa was also unfailingly polite and, if distant, probably the kindest kidnapper in the world.

Anna had her own room now, and unlike what she had half-expected as punishment for her _second _outburst, it was not a glorified prison but an actual room, furnished with everything she had back at home and more. Sleep came slowly amidst her troubled thoughts, until the next morning, someone knocked on her door and invited her to breakfast.

With Elsa.

At least the queen seemed determined to pretend that last dinner never even happened. It was just the two of them, and Elsa very professionally asked her if everything was satisfactory, if there was anything she needed, and if there was, she only needed to say a word. Otherwise, conversation was tentative now, even more than before, and both of them were on pins and needles – Anna hovering between animosity and acceptance, Elsa just as reserved as ever, and they exchanged maybe two short, clipped sentences before falling silent. But still, as Anna ate, she felt Elsa watching her.

The most unnerving thing was looking down at her meal, taking note of it carefully, and realizing every single dish was her favorite. Elsa must have been observing what she preferred every day and then made adjustments. Mind already reeling, Anna finally noticed once she got back to her quarters how everything had been arranged the exact same way as her old bedroom.

Anna wanted to be able to hate Elsa, but she was being so thoughtful and considerate that Anna wanted to rip her hair out.

It was unbelievably frustrating to realize she was getting used to life here.

Suddenly feeling an impulse to find the queen, Anna searched the castle until she peered out the windows of the great hall into the courtyard. And there, she saw Elsa.

* * *

"Release, let free. There are no limits."

Feeling the tempest contained in her soul come to life beneath her skin, Elsa never felt more powerful or more detached. The world grew brighter, sharper, full of colors and smells and sounds suppressed along with her magic. It was not the same as creation, not the controlled force she had poured into her staircase, but an outpouring of her power for the sole purpose of destruction. Ice froze over in her veins, surged to her fingertips with a rush of heady adrenaline, the storm inside her singing louder and louder until she could contain it no longer.

Howling winds heralded the glacial storm that struck in the courtyard where Elsa trained her powers, shards of ice pelting down with violent impact, all of it swept into a spiraling snowstorm.

_Let it go, let it free, let it go, _and the power came faster, stronger, almost uncontrollable in its intensity. Elsa snapped her hands out and streaks of white blasted from her fingertips, torrent after torrent of ice streaking out as cold continued to circulate through her blood, until even her eyes flashed frigid blue.

She spun on her heel and aimed at targets set up around the courtyard, willing the ice to hit, and wave after wave of white surged forward to decimate, to demolish, to destroy, each one striking with deadly precision. With a stamp of her foot the entire courtyard froze over, the storm raged stronger; and she rode the wind, one with the sky. Free and weightless, Elsa glided across the icy plains, sharp pivots and turns taking her in a wild race.

Her power mounted, stronger and stronger, until it hit a crescendo.

And then, finally, electricity poured from her hands.

Crackling lightning burst through, whispering over her skin and bringing with it the pain and pleasure of intoxicating power. Now as she weaved through the storm she threw bolt after bolt of lightning to sear through her targets, leaving little more than charred, smoking rubble behind. _Contain it, tame it, control it_, and the tempest withdrew with concussive force as Elsa stood at the eye of the storm, spiraling through the air before reentering her body.

Crossbows nocked in chorus as archers prepared to fire. From every single window of the surrounding castle came a hail of crossbow bolts. Molding the electricity into her ice, Elsa raised her hands and the air turned in on itself, forming a flawless sheet of magnetic ice. Every single projectile spun off course and redirected itself to stab uselessly into the ice, penetrating less than a centimeter before being forcibly halted. With a thought, the frost spread to the arrows. Another thought and the entire structure imploded with an earth-shattering roar, to land on the ground as shards of fractured crystal.

Elsa stood there, alone in her glory, and she let the last whispers of her power retreat to her soul.

_Release, let free. There are no limits._

* * *

From the relative safety of the castle, Anna stood in open-mouthed awe of the sheer power she had just witnessed. After that display, it was difficult to believe Elsa could still be human. As though the blizzard hadn't been enough, Anna had just seen her conjure _lightning_. What else could she do that Anna had no idea about?

Opening the grand doors and carefully walking over to where Elsa was, Anna noticed she seemed fatigued for once. In the glittering graveyard, Elsa stood with her chest heaving and her eyes closed.

"Hey, are you all right–"

A wall of ice erupted from the ground just in time to block a stray crossbow bolt headed straight for Elsa. Her eyes snapped open, widened with surprise, and Anna knew this wasn't part of her training exercise anymore. They stood only a few feet away, and as their eyes met Anna saw the panic bleeding into Elsa's normal calm. She didn't understand. Elsa couldn't get hurt.

Then was Elsa worried…for her?

"Watch out!"

Elsa abandoned her defense and ran towards her, and Anna barely registered being held by bared hands as they fell to the ground, Elsa physically shielding her with her body. She saw another crossbow bolt burying itself at the exact place where she had stood. Elsa raised a hand towards the windows and a torrent of lightning shattered through glass and assassin both, body tumbling from above to land with the sickening crunch of crushed bone.

"You're hurt!" Anna peered over Elsa's shoulder and was horrified to see torn flesh on her back, a diagonal gash of flayed skin stretching from shoulder to hip. Anna had thought it impossible. Without realizing it, she had begun to believe Elsa above such mundane, mortal concepts as injury.

She was proven wrong when Elsa murmured, voice slurred and eyes clouded with pain, "I'm glad you're safe." She managed only a small smile of relief before slumping against her, and Anna had never been as terrified in her life as seeing this proud, untouchable queen rendered so helpless.

"Elsa!"

Elsa was human after all, but Anna wished she could have found out any other way.

* * *

**a/n: **Really long author's note. Lightning is created from opposite charges of ice particles inside clouds, which forms an electrical field, so, yes, Elsa has (incomplete) control over lightning. It's not entirely indulgent on my part, I swear, it does play a part in the plot. I exaggerated the magnetic ice though. If you freeze ice under an electric field, it can pick up small magnetic properties, but only enough for really light-weight things. Of course, Elsa's ice has always had different properties from natural ice anyway, so there you have Badass!Elsa.


	6. Starred With Frost

**a/n: **Some replies to reviews that I think should be addressed here too. Regarding the princes, yes, they will be featured fairly heavily in this story, but mostly focusing on a few. As for why Elsa didn't just block the arrow with ice, the answer is she lacks the control necessary to do it without killing Anna in the backlash. She's actually too powerful to manage something subtle like that. It'll be explained more, but not quite yet. Thank you to LaraAelric for idea-bouncing with me, and Hellafan for another piece of fanart, this time of Elsa wearing the crown described in this chapter! You should really check it out in my profile.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Starred With Frost**

Anna found herself once again in Elsa's room, trying to sort out the whirlwind of activity of the past few hours.

Immediately after the assassination attempt, no one else had been able to touch Elsa.

Anna had discovered that, for whatever reason, only she could be anywhere near the unconscious queen without being faced by a line of sharp spikes manifesting from the air. An automatic defense, then, just like what had blocked the first crossbow bolt. If not for her, Anna realized guiltily, Elsa would never have been hurt. But who asked her to take the hit? Elsa hadn't given her any choice about it, had just decided to abandon the protection of her ice to take care of her, and she had no business making Anna feel guilty and worried because she shouldn't be. She should be _happy _about this, but she was the furthest thing from it and she had no idea why.

With her thoughts scrambled by panic and worry, Anna had no idea what to _do_ even.

But she needn't have worried. She was so distracted she didn't notice at first, but not all was quite right; Anna had seen the puncture but missed it slowly healing already. Blood just stopped flowing as though frozen in the veins, and only when she heard Elsa come back to life with a groan did she see how the torn muscle had actually knit itself back together. After a brief glow of white light, only the tiniest bit of blood marred otherwise unmarked, pale skin.

She had no idea how that was even possible.

Shaking her head and throwing herself into bed, Anna tried to forget about the strange sight. Strangely enough, it wasn't too hard. She had no idea why she had been brought to Elsa's room again, but being in it was calming, somehow, and she found the light chill actually relaxing as she made herself comfortable in the blankets. Funny thought, that she was more relaxed here than in her own room. Her room in the _Southern Isles_, that was, not really her _own _room.

Because that was in _Arendelle_.

Anna turned over and groaned.

* * *

Queen Elsa sat on her throne, features starched as cold iron but quiet fury obvious in the raging snowstorm outside. As if to remind her subjects of exactly who she was, of exactly what _they _were, her usually neglected crown was placed over her head once more. Made entirely of sapphire-tinted ice, the tiara was not smooth but ribbed and jagged, better to refract light so all its surface gleamed with a brilliant white glow; its four points had been carved into conic, helical spirals, like winged seashells; and from the band encircling her head plunged eight short spikes, six against her hair and two arcing into lightning bolts on her forehead.

Before her stood the twelve princes: Gustaf, Cyrus, Fabian, Tobias, Alek, Stefan, Rafael, Saul, Oliver, Reid, Edmund, and finally Hans.

The _remaining _twelve.

"Alvard is dead," Elsa announced, though his body already lay in the center of the throne hall a mere few feet from the others. They stood uncomfortably near their dead brother, some with ashen faces, afraid to look and yet morbidly curious. Some of them were harmless, of course, uncaring of her rule or even pleased; Stefan and Rafael came to mind, enamored as they were with art and music.

But many of the others desperately needed reminder of her power.

Rule with authority, Markus had taught her.

Alek had been closest to Alvard, Elsa knew, much unlike many of the other bickering brothers holding even their blood relatives at arm's length. She found it admirable, their shared hatred of her, because they were at least upfront. Immediately, the headstrong man stepped forward and demanded, face set with anguish and denial, "What has he done to deserve this? Explain yourself, Elsa!"

"You would do well to address Queen Elsa with respect," Hans said, and Elsa recognized his favorite and yet still undoubtedly effective tactic. Nobody liked to be reminded of their subordination.

Predictably, Alek sneered. "Maybe if she deserved it, but Alvard–"

"Attempted to assassinate the queen," Tobias interjected, but his voice had always been high and cruel, and the derision obvious in his careless demeanor made Alek turn to him with a guttural snarl.

"You damned bookworm–"

"Yes, and perhaps if Alvard had a shred of similar intellect, he would have known better than to attempt treason." Tobias smiled when Alek went mute with rage and, brushing back a long strand of black hair, he added, "I only wish you would do the same so we might be rid of you too."

Even more arguing from the two; Elsa tuned out their insipid bickering with practiced ease. Born frail but with a keen mind unfortunately dedicated to cruelty, Tobias spent much of his time in the libraries pursuing forbidden knowledge. He was almost as much of a pariah as Elsa herself. She disliked being compared to him.

"Enough, Tobias," Elsa said at last, when Alek looked ready to strike him. Bowing, Tobias stepped back into line, but not before sending one last smug smile at Alek, prompting another curse. "And you, Alek, should control yourself. Alvard _did _try to kill me, and such an offense could not go unpunished. Do not forget who I am."

Edmund swallowed and tentatively piped up, almost quailing under Elsa's gaze. "But did he have to _die_? Elsa, I'm sure it was only a moment of, I don't know, momentary insanity, Alvard would never…"

Out of all the brothers, Edmund was the most innocent: ironically too innocent to ever have a chance at the throne, but innocent enough to not be a threat and therefore spared from danger. Elsa wondered if it was a ploy, sometimes. Then again, she suspected everyone.

"Treason is treason, and there are no exceptions. Any attempt to overthrow me is to disobey Markus, and I will carry out his expectations. Do not think he would have spared Alvard," Elsa said. Looking stricken, Edmund nodded quickly and stepped back.

Gustaf, the eldest, spoke up next in his trademark drawl. "Are you sure this was because of treason, or was it because of your pet? I don't care, but I would like some clarification about the exact offense."

"It's unfortunate Princess Anna was dragged into this mess," Hans said, and then pretending to have misspoken, he widened his eyes. "Oh, unless Anna _isn't_ the pet you were referring to, I apologize."

Elsa gripped the arm of her throne tightly at the veiled barb. "Considering how eager you are to be at my beck and call and answer questions not directed to you, one could consider _you _my pet, Hans."

"Sit, boy," Fabian said, and Elsa held back a smile of victory when Hans flushed at the slightly nervous laughter from the others. Of course, Alek remained sullen, and Edmund stood somber, but the others either had little care for Alvard or were relieved to have a distraction.

"Now that we are thankfully free from the intrusion of fools, I will answer," Elsa said, unable to resist one last jibe. "The answer to your question, Gustaf, is both. Both treason and bringing harm to Princess Anna, my _guest_, are challenges to my authority and will not be tolerated."

"I can accept that – Queen Elsa," Gustaf said, and Elsa was surprised to find his use of her title genuine. Almost twenty years her elder, Gustaf had never challenged her but never quite approved of her rule, either. It was as though having the spine to kill of one of his brothers actually earned his respect.

She should have simply accepted the good fortune, but Elsa couldn't hold back her curiosity. "Is it really so easy to accept the death of your brother?"

"There is nothing to accept. Alvard deserved this fate for his actions, and I see nothing wrong with justice. Even against family; I'm sure you understand." Turning slightly to eye his brothers, lingering a moment longer on Alek, Gustaf continued, "And if anybody tries anything more, I will personally ensure Queen Elsa needs not dirty her hands next time."

Uneasy agreement rang through the hall.

Elsa was admittedly confused. Gustaf was the eldest and commanded the most authority, but up until now he had been apathetic to her rule. Either he was sincere and thought her actions commendable, or he was only covering his tracks. She highly doubted Alvard, brash as he was, would have gone to the extreme of assassinating her unless provoked. Could it be Gustaf…?

"I agree, but there may be a larger conspiracy at hand," Saul said. "Please, allow me to look into the matter."

Oliver and Reid nodded their agreement, almost always in line with their older brother. "If there are any other conspirators–"

"That will be unnecessary." Elsa knew better than to dig further into the mess and implicate others, not when one prince was already dead by her hand. It wouldn't do to start more conflict. "As no lasting harm was done, I will let this matter rest."

"So was Anna all right?" Edmund asked. He flushed when Fabian leered and Cyrus joined in with a rude comment – Cyrus and Fabian, the poltergeist brothers – but after fervently denying the lecherous accusations, he immediately looked back to Elsa.

"…She was unharmed."

Edmund exhaled slowly. "That's good."

"If nobody has anything else to say, this meeting is adjour–"

Once again, Edmund cleared his throat. "Err, sorry. I have something else."

Tobias scowled. "Must we sit through your inane questioning?"

"It's important!" Edmund cried. "It's about – Alvard. Can I ask that, well, he still be given a royal burial? I know it's against the rules, but I can't imagine him being stripped of his title and everything. Please."

Slowly, Elsa nodded. Edmund bowed his thanks with a toothy grin.

"Still a child," Elsa murmured. "I will arrange for the burial. All of you are dismissed, but take care to remember your place. I do not wish for another repeat incident, and I'm sure none of you desire the same end."

With the threat hanging over their heads, all the princes filed out. Elsa wondered which ones were uninvolved, which ones were calculating how this would affect them. Out of the twelve, she noticed Hans taking an especially long glance at Alvard's body before walking out, steps just marginally quicker than the others.

She supposed she should have known.

* * *

She didn't manage to catch a wink of sleep, so when the door opened Anna immediately heard.

"You're back!" Anna sprang out of bed when Elsa stepped into the room, but once the queen actually looked at her, she forgot her carefully prepared speech and stood there tongue-tied. She thought she might start sweating if it wasn't so cold. "Uhh, you're, umm…you're fine?"

"I am unharmed," Elsa answered, but she sounded uncertain. Uncertain of _what_, Anna didn't realize until Elsa added, "I'm…surprised you asked."

"Of course I'd ask. What kind of person _wouldn't _ask?" Anna frowned when Elsa stayed silent and closed the door behind her, slowly, trying to avoid her again. Well, this time she wouldn't have it. "Are we going to do the silent thing again? Because trust me, I grew up with four walls, I can do this all day."

"I meant no offense. Only…" Elsa trailed off. Determined to get a real answer, Anna fixed her with a heavy stare. When Elsa raised an eyebrow, she remembered she had as much presence in front of the regal queen as _maybe _a bug, but whether amused or otherwise, Elsa deigned to continue. "Not many people would worry for me. No one would think it necessary."

"Because of your powers?" Anna could understand that, just a little, thinking of how Elsa commanded ice and snow like the cold was a part of her, and more recently how lightning tore from her fingertips. But still… "That's not any reason to not worry for you." The longer Anna thought about it, the more indignant she became. If someone really cared, her powers shouldn't matter.

Did no one ever tell her that?

Elsa only shrugged. "Assassination attempts are not altogether rare, though Alvard came as a surprise. I am more than prepared for attempts on my life. Worrying for me is pointless."

It took Anna a moment to process that, _really _process that, and she stood there mutely until Elsa frowned and she snapped back to life with a vengeance. "So you're saying people try to kill you on a regular basis and you just, what, fend for yourself?" And then _Alvard_. "Wait, Alvard is one of the princes! Why would he–"

"You were the one to tell me how much I was hated," Elsa said, a stiff smile on her face. Anna wished Elsa were angry. Anything would have been better than the wry resignation that felt like a physical blow knocking her breath away, guilt and shame coming all at once when she realized how horrible she had been.

"I didn't mean…" Anna clamped her mouth shut. She _had _meant it.

"After that night," Elsa murmured, "I believed you would always hate me."

"What I said that time..."

"I fully deserved," Elsa said, cutting off Anna's protest. "I'm sorry I cannot explain more."

Before Anna could figure out what to say, Elsa suddenly hissed and stumbled, trying her absolute hardest to stay on her feet before her leg wobbled and finally collapsed under her. She fell to one knee, her hand flying to her shoulder as a dull groan escaped her lips.

"Are you all right?" Anna exclaimed, dropping next to the queen. She looked over to see blood seeping through the back of Elsa's dress, crimson quickly blossoming through the sheer fabric. "Y-You're bleeding! But I saw – I thought you were all better!"

"It was only temporary," Elsa admitted.

Before the queen could protest, Anna grabbed her hands and helped her up. She wasn't wearing her gloves, and the instant they touched, Anna felt the coldness of her skin. Not dangerously so, not the ice Anna had expected but comforting, like somehow holding onto the feeling of a passing breeze.

Elsa gasped again, but not from pain. "Anna, please, you'll be hurt." She tried to jerk her hands back, but Anna held on, sure she would fall without support.

"I've managed this long, I'm sure I won't suddenly die of frostbite." At once Elsa stopped struggling, looking as though she were dazed. Smiling a little despite herself, Anna helped her over to the bed. "I'll go call someone–"

"No," Elsa said, too quickly, forgetting her previous aversion and gripping Anna's wrist tightly when she tried to turn.

"Why? You need help–"

"Exactly. People cannot know that I am vulnerable." Elsa let go and involuntarily bent inwards again, another hiss escaping her clenched teeth. Anna realized how much it must _really_ hurt, if even always-controlled Elsa couldn't hold it back. But even still, she forced past the pain to insist, sounding deathly afraid, "No one can know, I can't let them see–"

"All right, all right," Anna said, sitting Elsa down when she tried to rise. "Don't move. Are there still bandages and things from last time?" Elsa nodded, pointing with a shaking finger to the dresser nearby, and Anna immediately rummaged through it. She had been looking for ointments and bandages, but she couldn't help but notice there weren't any clothes.

Returning to Elsa, Anna realized their roles had been reversed in only two days. Two mornings ago, it had been Elsa caring for _her_. Maybe Elsa realized it too because she smiled, just a little, her eyes conveying her amusement more than her face. Anna had thought Elsa emotionless, but these past few days she learned otherwise. Elsa might be cold on the outside, but she had the most expressive eyes Anna had ever seen and they spoke more than words could. Other people smiled with their lips. Elsa smiled with her eyes.

"I don't actually know how to do this," Anna admitted, embarrassed but quietly pleased with how Elsa's eyes lit up again with amusement. "Err, should I take your dress off? Wait, that didn't come out right."

"It would be prudent." With a wave of her hand, Elsa was left sitting there without her top.

Anna couldn't help herself. She squealed and dropped everything, hands flying up to cover her eyes, but she peeked through her fingers when Elsa _laughed._ Not a full-blown laugh, only a contained chuckle that was more like a series of short breaths, but Anna was amazed to hear it anyway. Even Elsa widened her eyes once she realized what she was doing.

"U-Uhh." Anna cleared her throat and quickly picked up all the supplies, ducking her head to hide her reddening face. "Sooooo. How did you do that?" She was looking for anything to talk about, shuffling quickly to the other end of the bed and clambering up.

"Oh. I made the dress out of my ice."

"Th-That's really impressive! It's very beautiful."

"…Thank you."

Anna sat behind Elsa and tried to steady her shaking hands. It was hard not to be nervous, not so much because of the reopened gash – certainly horrible, long and jagged, though the bleeding had at least stopped – but because of proximity. Elsa was just sitting there topless in only her undergarments, and Anna would be lying if she said she wasn't terrified. Taking a deep breath, Anna gently brushed away platinum blonde hair, as soft as silk on her fingers, and then carefully wiped the blood away.

"I'm not sure the bandages are going to be enough," Anna said, eyeing the open wound.

"I won't need them. My body will heal by itself, I only needed more time."

Explained why the gash had closed before, but not exactly how it happened in the first place. Anna shrugged it off easily. She was getting used to Elsa's little quirks. Maybe a little too used to them, but whatever. "Well, we still need to make sure you don't get an infection."

"…Why do you care? About me?" Elsa whispered.

"You saved me. Isn't it just normal for me to worry when you got hurt because of me?"

Elsa blinked and tilted her head. "But you were also targeted because of me. I owe you an apology–"

"Enough with the apologies," Anna snapped, but the moment the words left her mouth, she winced at how much harsher it sounded than she meant. Elsa looked away. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean – I just think – I'm just saying you don't have to always say sorry. I'm grateful, really grateful."

"…Then I will also tell you, being grateful is unnecessary. I did what I wanted to."

For a long moment, they simply looked at each other silently. For Anna it was like seeing Elsa clearly for the first time, without the preconceptions she held from their first meeting and the resentment she felt from her captivity. It was impossible to resent her now, when she thought of Elsa throwing herself in the way of a deadly projectile, enduring this pain, just to save her. Elsa was such a contradiction. She bore the potential for wanton destruction, yet she handled Anna with such tender care. She could break her without a thought, but Anna knew she never would.

Had Elsa always looked this way, this insecure? Clutching her arms tightly to herself, injured and unable to ask for help, looking so elegant and yet out of place, Elsa was anything but what Anna had thought.

"Are you all right, Anna?"

That snapped her out of it.

"R-Right, I'll just get started now," Anna mumbled.

Okay, this couldn't be that hard. Fumbling with the disinfectant and very almost spilling it everywhere when the cap popped off and shot across the room – Elsa shifted, just a little, to follow it with her eyes – Anna at last managed to get some on a cotton pad. She froze, though, when confronted with the actual injury. How was she even supposed to know what to do? She wasn't a professional. How had Elsa done it? Was _she _a professional? Anna doubted it.

"I'm ready for this," Anna muttered under her breath. "I was _born _ready!"

With visceral strength she swiped the gash with disinfectant, and Elsa flinched away.

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry!" Anna dropped the cotton pad like it was a deadly weapon. "I swear I didn't do that on purpose; I have no idea how to do this, and I'm pretty sure I'm not qualified, and, and–"

"Anna, I'm fine."

"…O-Okay. You're fine, and I'm calm." Anna took a deep breath. "I'll try to be careful."

Elsa's muscles were tense. Anna could feel it the instant she touched her, could feel muscles tightening into knots, and she saw Elsa wringing the blankets in her hands. The disinfectant must have hurt, but Elsa never made the slightest sound or even breathe any quicker. Or at all, Anna realized. Just another quirk to file away, but actually touching Elsa, she couldn't feel even the slightest hint of movement.

"Just relax," Anna said.

"I may still hurt you," Elsa muttered. "Touching my bare skin, I might accidentally hurt you; I don't have enough control to guarantee your safety. I'm allowing myself to indulge too much as it is."

"We've touched before, and nothing happened."

"It's strange to me as well," Elsa said, craning her head to meet Anna's gaze, eyes burning with some strange emotion she couldn't identify. "I – I don't know why, but…you're the only person I can touch." She looked down at her hands, those same hands Anna had seen perform beautiful, beautiful magic, and then quickly away again like she couldn't stand the sight of them.

She sounded so painfully unsure, and it dawned on Anna that this was the most Elsa had ever revealed of herself to her, maybe to anyone. She heard the underlying desperation and hope mingled in Elsa's voice, and something in her welled with pity for this isolated queen. She had to know.

"How long have you been alone?" Anna asked quietly.

For a long moment, she thought Elsa wouldn't answer. A terrible silence descended on the room, punctuated by the snowstorm outside suddenly picking up in ferocity, ice shards slamming against the windows with loud thumps. Just as Anna started to regret asking, an answer came.

"…I don't remember," Elsa said. "Years. For as long as I can remember, I haven't been able to touch anyone without hurting them. And once people realized I was dangerous…"

Years without human contact, then. Anna had been raised behind closed gates, but even she had Kai and Gerda and all the friendly hired hands, and best of all, Pappa. She couldn't imagine living without the comfort and warmth of something as simple as a hug.

"What about your parents?" Surely they would…

"They disapproved of my gift." Just the way Elsa said it sent shivers down Anna's spine, monotonous beyond even her usual tone, the voice of someone dead to the world. Before her eyes the gash on Elsa's back closed, this time hopefully permanently, but she was starting to think Elsa might prefer healing the mundane way.

That was when she noticed. Where the gash had been, only unmarked skin was left. But beside it…

"What are these marks?" Anna asked, trailing her fingers over ropy ridges on Elsa's back. Scars, she realized, extremely old and so milky they were almost invisible, but still obviously scars. She would never have expected any blemish like this on the queen.

"…Punishment."

Anna jerked away. "I – I'm so sorry." Even if Elsa had bothered to respond, she knew how inadequate those meaningless words were. She was apologizing for digging up what Elsa obviously wanted to forget, but the damage was done and the evidence would always be there. "You didn't deserve that."

Elsa said nothing.

Later, Anna wouldn't know what came over her. It was purely instinct, driven by concern and sympathy and compassion, and maybe if she had stopped to think she would not have dared; but all she knew in that instant was that she couldn't let Elsa be alone for a single moment longer, not when she could see her starting to retreat behind a mask again after only just revealing her humanity.

Anna leaned forward and hugged Elsa from behind.

* * *

Elsa hadn't been expecting it at all.

One moment she had been lost in memory, and the next…

Warmth. Warmth like she had never felt before, pressed flush against her skin, and her first instinct was panic. G_et away, get away before you hurt her, get away before she realizes what you are._ She moved to pull away, only for Anna to catch her wrists and cross their arms together across her waist. Elsa thought she felt something stir where her heart had been, a flutter that was a cross between panic and pleasure. Anna was holding her so close. Elsa could smell the fragrance of her hair, hear the soft sounds of her breathing, feel the comfort of her warmth and the rhythm of her heartbeat, all of it intensely alive.

She had been so very cold without even realizing how much she craved warmth.

She had never felt this before, being cared for.

She desperately wanted, _needed_, to just let go and give in this one time.

So Elsa closed her eyes and leaned back, content to bask in this small shred of warmth she had found in the winter she always lived in.


	7. Diamond Dust

**a/n: **Really glad you guys liked the last chapter! This chapter might feel a little bit like filler, but the Elsanna dynamic does need to be fleshed out – I'm sure you guys won't mind some more of their interaction! As for what Elsa is, that will be revealed very soon. The accelerated healing was also brought up in a review, so I'll provide a brief explanation here, like with the lightning. Just going to copy over from my PM:

Cryotherapy is used to decrease cell metabolism in order to increase cell survival, and some other things like stopping inflammation and numbing pain (hence why Elsa seems perfectly okay during the part with the princes). It also constricts blood vessels to staunch bleeding. This is what I imagine to be Elsa's passive, automatic response, and then after that stabilization, we get the reverse. When cold sensors are activated, they force blood to the core, and it brings nutrients and oxygen to speed up healing. With Elsa, I imagine this process to be magnified several hundred times because of her powers and being constantly inundated in cold, and so we get high-speed regeneration.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Diamond Dust**

"I told you it wouldn't work."

Hans looked away from Tobias with a scoff, eyes glancing over the dusty tomes of the library with disinterest. It was, as with all other parts of the castle, frigid; except with all the irreplaceable, _precious _works stored here, very few lamps were lit and braziers even fewer, making it a great deal colder than Hans liked to deal with. All the windows in the world didn't help with lighting either, not with the perpetual snowstorm raging around the castle, so they were left in a cold, dark vault.

Gods knew why Tobias liked this place so much.

"I never expected it to," Hans answered. "I would be a fool to think Alvard capable of killing Elsa."

"Then why, exactly, did you feel the need to push our brother to his untimely death?"

If he didn't know better, he might have thought Tobias cared. "I wanted to see what would happen."

"A flimsy excuse for a sloppy job." Tobias leaned his chair back, far back, legs outstretched and feet clamped down on the top and bottom of the desk to keep from falling. He fixed Hans with a stare. "But then, Alvard may have been _our _brother, and not _yours_."

It took much, much more effort to control his temper than Hans was used to, but with practiced ease he still repressed the age-old resentment. Not many of his brothers would outright mention the suspicious circumstances of his birth – a mother pregnant for much shorter than ten months, giving birth to a child dissimilar to the king – but Hans knew what they and their father thought.

Markus had never believed Hans to be of his blood.

Even if he were not thirteenth in line, he would never have a chance at the throne.

"So do you care after all?" Hans asked.

"Well, no," Tobias admitted. "What are brothers but otherwise unrelated people placed together by chance? Blood doesn't matter. Still, losing Alvard for such a fool scheme is unfortunate. I would have preferred to extract greater use before discarding him."

"On the contrary, now we have Alek as a replacement," Hans said, watching carefully as Tobias snorted and slammed his chair back down. "Angry as he is, he should be easy to use."

"Rubbish to replace trash. That is your grand plan?" Tobias shook his head, one hand brushing his hair back. "I feel that my time is wasted on you, Hans, when you cannot see the benefits of your own actions."

"Oh?"

"It was also a good test of how the Arendelle girl comes into play," Tobias said. "And, as we have seen, she is very much something we can exploit."

As though he really couldn't see, but as usual, Hans allowed himself to be underestimated. "And how would you suggest we do so?"

"Edmund asked about her welfare, and Elsa said she was unharmed. Think about that." Tobias stood and picked up a small lamp from the table, bringing it up to the shelves of heavy tomes. Fingers skimming over the spines with what Hans considered an unhealthily loving touch, Tobias at last stopped at one volume and slid it out.

"I'm not following you," Hans said.

"Of course you don't," Tobias sighed. "Think back to what happened. From what I gather, Elsa actually caught her, with bared hands. You do not find it strange she was unharmed?"

"So Anna has some form of resistance to Elsa's powers." Hans raised an eyebrow. "You cannot expect her to kill Elsa for us?" As ironic as it would be, Hans couldn't see it happening.

"Must everything be so morbid with you?"

Tobias opened the book, and Hans could imagine how often he must peruse it when he cracked it open to the exact page he wanted. When his brother beckoned him forward, Hans leaned in to take a closer look. Rather than cracked, yellowing parchment like what Hans had imagined, the pages were pristinely preserved, perfectly white; and the black text, though seemingly handwritten, was bold and legible.

Was that thing…perhaps a mirror?

"What is this?" Hans asked.

At times like these, he remembered why he enlisted Tobias in the first place. It was not like him to spend hours poring over the volumes here, but Tobias had knowledge that he could use. It helped, of course, that despite his intelligence Tobias also thought himself above him. Otherwise, Hans had the feeling Tobias would never divulge all this to someone he considered a threat.

"My theory about Elsa," Tobias answered. "And if I'm correct, the road to the throne. You will, of course, remember the sealed topmost tower? Do convince your little project to take a trip there."

"You're assuming Anna will listen to me?"

Tobias smiled. "But that is your use to me, _brother_, for I lack your charming voice and pleasing face. I'll make sure to reward you well when I am king."

"…Of course."

And when _Hans _was king, he would make sure to punish Tobias for his insolence.

* * *

It was a little awkward in the morning.

Still, it wasn't even as bad as last night. Anna hadn't noticed at first, but Elsa had fallen asleep in her embrace. Not the light sleep she had witnessed last time, not the type of sleep where Elsa prepared herself to spring to action at a moment's notice – which Anna now knew was likely a defense against assassination – but actual deep sleep. After a brief moment of panic when she noticed Elsa _still _wasn't breathing and thought she had _died_, Anna saw a very, very weak rise and fall to her chest.

Once her heart steadied, Anna carefully laid Elsa down in bed and tucked her in.

And then very creepily watched.

When Anna realized what she was doing, she flushed so badly she thought she must look like a beacon of red light in the dark room, and not even the persistent chill could cool her down. She was just more and more fascinated, and the thought that Elsa needed _sleep_, at least, once again made her distinctly more human. Of course, Elsa didn't end up with bedhead and didn't snore or drool or anything, but she would take what she could get.

It was still strange to see how much more relaxed Elsa looked while asleep, and even stranger still to be able to watch the cold, regal expression gradually soften. Only at moments like these did Anna realize Elsa wasn't that much older than her. Without the tension lining her face, Elsa could be any other normal person. A rather beautiful one for sure, but…

…oh, a strand of hair actually fell over her face. Well! Anna smiled a little at the thought that Elsa's hair could be messed up after all. The wispy platinum-blonde lock fell directly over her nose, and Elsa twitched at the feathery touch. Anna fought hard to repress a laugh when Elsa crinkled her nose, and to let her sleep, she carefully brushed the strand away and tucked it behind her ear.

Anna had intended to sneak back to her own room after a while, though she wasn't quite sure when exactly that was. Maybe there would be some divine signal for her to go. So, sitting there on the bed as Elsa slept, Anna let her mind wander, first from recalling the busy days since she had arrived and then to more pleasant things like chocolate and marshmallows; and eventually her eyelids fluttered so badly even the moonlight streaming in through the windows dimmed, and Anna thought maybe she should go.

She woke the next morning snuggled up next to Elsa.

"…Good morning," Elsa said, when Anna simply stared at her with ever-widening eyes, breathing picking up into short spurts before stopping altogether. While she squeaked incomprehensible noises, Elsa frowned. "Are you all right? Is this…a normal reac–"

Anna released her pent-up breath into a piercing scream. She clutched the covers close to herself before screaming even louder at the sight of Elsa _still_ without her top, and so she threw them towards the queen, flailing, shoving Elsa away – _Oh God, I just felt her up – _before shuffling backwards in a hurry and tumbling off the bed. Impacting rather harshly on her back knocked the breath out of her again, and so Anna stared up, speechless, as Elsa peered over with eyebrows knitted together.

"Fine," Anna gasped. "I-I'm fine. Just surprised me. Clothes. Please."

"Oh." Looking down and realizing her state of undress, Elsa slid off the other end of the bed, took a few more steps away, and then carefully waved her hand over herself. Ice shards spread from the remaining fabric at her waist and slowly snaked its way upward, coalescing into Elsa's usual flowing gossamer dress.

Almost the usual, except…

"Do the proportions seem a little off?" Anna asked, picking both herself and the last shreds of her dignity up from the floor.

"Not just a little." Elsa grimaced and pulled at the shoulder, once again exposing her collarbones as Anna veered her eyes away. "I have trouble with this sort of magic now." Another wave of her hand and the dress stretched out in a light flurry of ice particles, reforming at an even worse angle. Elsa waved her hand again, this time with impatient force, only for a similar result.

"_You _have trouble with it?"

"My control is…tenuous at best," Elsa admitted, looking up sheepishly once her dress had been fitted to satisfaction.

Anna tried to smooth down her hair as best she could, but the puffiness overcame her efforts. With her hands still clamped down on a fistful of hair at the top of her head, she said, "But this is you we're talking about. I mean, I've seen you change the _weather_. Like maybe I can't control my hair, but you, I thought you could do anything."

"Larger feats are easier by comparison," Elsa said. "When I was younger I could create more things, but my powers grew stronger and stronger, until now…well."

"Oh." Thinking back to yesterday, Anna realized something _had _been strange. "Is that why you didn't, uhh, freeze the arrow or something?" Or blow it off-course with wind, Anna thought. Or block it with a wall of ice. Or throw a snowball at it. Or a lot of other things; Anna had a rather active imagination.

"Most of what I do targets a large range, for maximum effect," Elsa confirmed, unwittingly reminding Anna of the large-scale destruction of her invasion, and then the training exercise. Come to think of it, she had never seen Elsa do anything _small. _"I would likely have killed you too, and I didn't want to risk it."

Morbid thought. "Wait, should you even be telling me this?" Anna asked. "I mean, this seems like pretty sensitive stuff."

"Probably not," Elsa said, rare smile on her face again, and Anna could have sworn her voice took on a teasing edge when she added, "I'm almost sure this counts as top-secret information."

"Like your uppermost tower?"

Elsa sobered so quickly Anna got whiplash, smile dropping into her stone-like mask and voice training back to an impassive monotone. She nodded once, with all the professional air of a queen once more. But not like an entirely different person. Anna could tell she was just putting on airs now. "Yes," Elsa said stiffly. "If you'd like, we can go to the dining hall now."

"…Uhh, if I might make a small request first?"

Elsa blinked.

"…Where's your bathroom?"

* * *

After washing and waking up just a little more, Anna followed Elsa to the dining room. It was another strange experience, actually walking there with Elsa; Anna had been led by a butler the last few times, and she found herself unsure about _where _to walk relative to the queen. Trying desperately to remember her etiquette lessons, Anna flew through the options and decided the safe choice would be a step behind and to the side, respectful and deferent.

But when did she ever pick the safe choice?

Elsa raised a brow when Anna took a large step forward and walked beside her, but she took the change in stride. Grinning widely and walking with a spring in her step, Anna eventually overtook Elsa and ended up leading _her_. Elsa followed, smiling and shaking her head in amusement. They took their place at the overly long table, but this time, as Anna stared across the three meters…

"We should really do something about this," Anna said.

Elsa tilted her head in question.

"Isn't this a little much when it's just the two of us?" Anna stood up and took great lumbering steps from her end to Elsa, making a show of stretching her arms out stiffly. When Elsa only blinked, she dropped the act and huffed, "Well, I'm done having to scream across the table when we talk. It's like we're on opposite sides of a river or something."

Struck by sudden inspiration, Anna snatched up a plate, piled it with jelly cookies and krumkake, and plopped down on the floor.

"…Anna, what are you doing?"

"Eating comfortably," Anna replied over a bite of krumkake. Truth be told, the seatback had been rigidly straight and uncomfortably hard, but there was another reason she was doing this.

Elsa acted as though she wasn't the slightest bit perturbed, but Anna noticed the way she kept glancing from the table over to her. She didn't pay it any mind and just continued eating, savoring the sweet desserts that tasted much better than they had the previous days, bursting with flavor over her tongue. Probably something to do with her mood, but Anna could find it in herself to enjoy them now. Especially when Elsa actually started fidgeting, or as close to it as she would ever come, fingers lightly tapping on the table like playing the piano.

Finally, Elsa sighed and glanced down. "Are you sure you won't come back up?"

"You can come join me instead," Anna said, patting a spot next to her.

"It isn't proper."

"Nothing wrong with that once in a while."

"Will you at least eat more than just dessert?"

"If you ate anything at all."

Elsa closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose, the corners of her lips twitching upwards. "If you insist." Anna watched with glee as Elsa took up a plate and, just as she did, skipped over the actual breakfast foods and loaded it with chocolate. She had a sweet tooth too!

"Hey, what happened to eating more than just dessert?" Anna grinned when Elsa sat down on the floor next to her, only about a foot away instead of that dreadful distance before. Of course, Elsa still made sitting much more graceful than it ought to be, folding her legs to one side, the slit of her dress riding up just enough to reveal a flash of skin. Anna sat with her legs crossed under her and felt like a barbarian.

"If I must eat, I suppose I should eat something I like," Elsa said. Anna watched with bated breath as she carefully raised a piece of chocolate to her lips – a truffle, Anna's practiced eyes picked out, most likely a raspberry truffle – and bit down.

Such an expression of surprise and delight washed over Elsa's normally controlled face that Anna had to fight back giggles; but she ended up bursting into laughter anyway when Elsa hesitated for a fraction of a second, and then threw the whole truffle into her mouth and chewed away, the large piece of chocolate bulging out the side of her cheek.

"See? It's good, right?" Anna leaned forward excitedly and tried to steal one, only for Elsa to quickly smack her hand away. "Oh, you did not just–"

"Eat your own," Elsa said.

"I thought you didn't even eat! And the one time I see you eating, you start pigging out on me?"

Swallowing, Elsa picked up another piece and ate it a little slower this time, mulling over the taste and tongue poking out to lick the edge of her lip. "I only learned from your example."

Except she didn't make eating look anywhere near that good, Anna thought, and the words were right on the tip of her tongue before she stopped herself.

"You're red again," Elsa said.

"No!" Anna fanned herself, to no avail. When she saw Elsa raise a hand to cover her smile, an impulse ran wild through her thoughts. Before she could think twice, she grabbed Elsa's hand and pressed it to her reddening cheek.

Elsa let out the tiniest of gasps before regaining her composure, a slight second slipup that was at once barely noticeable and startling. "Anna. What are you doing?"

"Cooling myself down."

"You are very strange," Elsa murmured, but she didn't pull away.

Anna was just about to respond when she felt Elsa trace a thumb over her cheek, and she stilled. She wasn't cooling down any; if anything she felt herself heating up even more despite the comfortable cold of Elsa's skin, and she didn't even know how that was _possible_ but it was happening. Elsa widened her eyes and drew back once she realized what she was doing, and Anna's slackened grip gave no resistance.

"Umm, that was awkward. Sorry, I-I'm awkward." Anna took a deep breath and laughed nervously. "S-So, uhh, why don't you eat more often?"

Elsa seemed grateful for a change of subject and readily answered, "It helps to portray invincibility. It makes it seem as though I'm above the others, if I don't need to eat or drink. And chocolate…"

"Not the most mature food," Anna finished, laughing at the thought of Elsa commanding a bunch of princes with chocolate smeared across her lips. "So how long has it been?"

"It's been a while."

"A while since you last ate chocolate, or ate at all?" Anna snorted at her own joke. As if Elsa really didn't eat. Honestly, the more she thought about it, the sillier she found her old belief. "All right, so what else do you like–"

"Actually, Anna, there are some matters I must discuss with you." Elsa replaced the truffle and lightly flicked her fingers. The faint chocolate smears on her fingertips froze over and flaked off.

She sounded completely serious again. Anna wondered what she had said that might have triggered the abrupt shift, something she was beginning to realize Elsa used as a self-defense mechanism; but there wasn't much else she could do but wait for her to slowly break out of it.

"And what would these _matters _be?"

"Regarding the recent…incident. I did not expect you would be in danger."

"I'm fine, though," Anna said. Thanks to Elsa. If this was leading into another apology…

"For now, but I would like to guarantee your safety. If it is not disagreeable to you, I would move your quarters to mine."

"That sounds fine. Whatever you think is best."

Elsa tilted her head. "Do you…entirely understand what I am proposing?"

"Sure, you want to…" Anna ran over the _proposal _one more time, which had gone in one ear and out the other. "Wait, what? Okay, wait, wait. Are you saying you want me to stay in your room?"

Elsa nodded.

"…Oh."

"I know it may be improper, but I would feel more secure knowing that you are safe," Elsa said quickly, leaning forward as she spoke. "I had hoped distancing you might help you avoid undue attention, but at this point I must make it clear to the others that you are under my protection. And you are, after all, my responsibility. If anything happened to you–"

"It's fine!" Anna cleared her throat and said again, a little quieter, "It's fine, I mean, really. I don't have any, uhh, disagreement towards it."

And she really didn't. All through breakfast, Anna had acted the way she normally did around anyone, without even realizing how much her dynamic with Elsa had changed. Only now did she see it. She really didn't have a problem with the arrangement and, by extension, Elsa herself. Quite the opposite, actually, and she wasn't sure how it had happened. She wasn't sure she even needed to.

"Then – I'm glad," Elsa murmured. She raised her head. "Anna. May I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"…Are you afraid of me?" Elsa asked, ice-blue eyes boring into hers, searching for an answer she needed but had been denied.

"No," Anna said. "I'm not afraid."

_I've never been afraid of you._


	8. A Kingdom of Isolation

**a/n: **And we are back to the plot, closer and closer to the Elsa reveal. Just a heads-up, but that should be Chapter 10. Chapters 8 and 9 are the build-up to that. Since I've gotten multiple comments about the Elsanna coupling: I can see why the pairing is a little uncomfortable for some people, but at the same time, please understand that shipping them in no way reflects on the personal lives of anyone who supports that pairing, and in Tempest, they aren't related at all. If anyone does want to adapt this with a sisterly relationship though, I'd be more than happy to allow it; I most likely will not do it myself.

* * *

**Chapter 8: A Kingdom of Isolation**

Anna spent much of the day shadowing Elsa.

Not that she really had much choice in the matter, since Elsa wanted to ensure her safety; Anna figured after Elsa turning the last assassin into a human lightning rod, the next try might be a little later down the road. But, whatever. She didn't have much else to do, anyway.

But what Anna hadn't been expecting was sitting around watching Elsa struggle through paperwork. Her office was pretty enough, a large space with all the usual bells and whistles: glass bookcases crammed with official-looking things no one ever read; grandfather clock situated against the wall and chiming every fifteen minutes; and an ivory desk finished with gold leaf, oddly situated above a slightly raised dais. Everything had a distinctly white tint. Anna was currently reclining on a cream-colored sofa set embossed with gold, and watching in consternation.

"I don't get it. How come you have paperwork when you're…?"

She didn't want to say dictator. Luckily Elsa seemed to both get the hint and not take offense, eyes moving back and forth as she continued to skim document after document with dizzying speed.

"There are many things I must oversee personally."

"Such as…?"

"Managing the allocation of resources among our territories. The people of the Southern Isles also depend on supply caravans that I have to ration, and all of this has to be done promptly and efficiently," Elsa said. "I cannot do this if I lack full understanding of everything happening, hence the reports."

"Have you thought about a helper? You know, out of the princes. Shouldn't they pull their weight? I don't see any of them doing anything…"

Anything aside from assassination attempts, Anna thought somewhat bitterly. It wasn't entirely a surprise when Elsa answered, "I would rather handle this myself."

"You really don't trust any of them?"

"I suppose not; I only don't trust them _enough_. I've known them for many years, and truthfully, there are those I could rely on." Elsa sighed, rubbing her temple with her thumb. If the growing grimace on her face was any indication, it didn't help. "But it's not entirely a matter of trust. I just…"

"You're a workaholic?" Anna offered.

"I would prefer to manage all this myself," Elsa agreed. "Markus charged me with overseeing his kingdom and so I will, to my greatest capability."

Anna flopped down on the sofa, stretching out on the soft velvet but finding little comfort when she was so irate. "You said it, it's _his _kingdom. I don't see why his sons get to just leach off of you." Elsa only smiled in response, and Anna knew it was a moot point. "Whatever. So, tell me about them."

"You are interested?"

"In case I run into any of them," Anna said, shrugging.

Elsa nodded. "Gustaf is the eldest, and closest with the second and third princes, Cyrus and Fabian. They have a strange relationship," Elsa said, shrugging. "Cyrus and Fabian can be…uncouth. Gustaf keeps them in line, and enjoys an idle lifestyle of chess and calligraphy."

"Wow, talk about boring."

"…Quite." Elsa cleared her throat. "Tobias is the fourth prince, and very fond of the libraries. Particularly, I hear, of the volumes concerning sorcery. Stefan, the fifth, is an artist. It is likely you will never see him leave his room for months at a time. And…Alvard was the sixth."

Anna wrinkled her nose. "Oh." Not that she didn't feel bad about his death, but…

"Truthfully, Alvard was not without qualities. Judgmental and perhaps self-righteous, but I would not have wished him dead. Alvard was very close to the ninth prince, Alek," Elsa added. "They jointly commanded the standing army and oversaw the castle defenses."

"Not doing a great job," Anna grumbled.

"Quite the contrary. All parts of the castle, save for my wing, are completely safe."

Anna had been thinking about it, and she couldn't imagine how another nation would slip into the Southern Isles, not when ice sealed off the waters. Assuming it was even possible, they still wouldn't manage to smuggle many people. Most the assassins, then, came from inside the Southern Isles. She glanced out the window to watch the perpetual snowstorm, and she had to wonder: Did people here really despise their own queen that much?

"Rafael, the seventh prince, is particularly gifted with music. Very talented, but predisposed to gloom. Eighth is – Saul." Elsa suddenly stopped talking, eyes growing vacant, and Anna was surprised to see her frown. Was this Saul bad news? Only when she waved a hand did Elsa snap out of it. "Saul is close to the tenth and eleventh princes, Oliver and Reid. I believe you've met Edmund. As for Hans…"

"I've met Hans too," Anna said.

Instantly, the temperature of the room dropped. Frost collected even inside the grandfather clock, freezing the pendulum in place, and Anna swore the snowstorm outside grew in intensity.

"…I'm guessing you don't like Hans." Strange, Anna thought, even Edmund said the same thing. Was she missing something? Hans had been a perfect gentleman the time they met.

"There is nothing _particularly _wrong with Hans," Elsa admitted. "I believe his ambition is shared by many, only he takes the effort to conceal it. It worries me."

"I'm sure you're overthinking it," Anna said.

"Perhaps." Whatever Elsa said, she looked unconvinced.

Well, this was getting uncomfortable. Anna wondered if Elsa was just paranoid; but then she remembered Alvard, and suddenly maybe a _little _paranoia wasn't too outrageous. What must it be like to be so alone, surrounded by enemies in your own home?

"I'd help out," Anna offered. Elsa raised an eyebrow. "B-But I would probably screw everything up, so maybe not–"

"You are assuming that I trust you," Elsa said, smiling again. Anna flushed, sitting up quickly, but just when she was about to protest, Elsa added, "I do, but I wouldn't burden you with this. You're my guest."

Anna still had no idea why she was here, but the whole tell-me-about-Arendelle thing had to be a sham. Thinking of Arendelle brought a pang of nostalgia and, oddly, guilt. As much as her view of Elsa had changed, whenever the thought of Arendelle came up…

"Anna?"

"Oh! I was – I was just – thinking."

As if on cue, a distraction came in the form of a light knock on the door. One of the princes came in – Anna couldn't yet tell them apart, having seen only a few and talked to even fewer. He was of average height and slender, sandy-haired and fair-skinned, good-looking in an ordinary, gentle sort of way. None of his features were particularly striking, only they had no particular blemish either, otherwise plain if not for sharp electric-blue eyes. Not even sparing Anna a glance, he moved to stand at the base of the dais, where he was forced to look up to meet Elsa's eyes while she sat high above.

So that was why the desk was raised.

"Saul," Elsa greeted, and Anna perked up. Though Elsa kept her face blank, Anna could tell she was both surprised and unhappy to see Saul. Was he an enemy?

"Your Majesty." Saul bowed, only rising when Elsa conferred permission. "I've completed the new ship designs, and they will be delivered shortly."

"And you came here, personally, to inform me of such?" Elsa asked, sharp retort obviously on the tip of her tongue.

"I – I hoped to see you. I didn't have a chance before to ask if you were all right," Saul said, voice soft and concerned, and he made to step forward. Only when Elsa held up a hand did he stop.

Oh. Not an enemy, Anna realized, but the exact opposite. She could see the admiration in his eyes, and his face held such longing it must have _hurt_. No wonder he hadn't noticed her in the room; Saul only had eyes for Elsa. Anna felt an odd pang in her tightening chest, and even her stomach seemed to plummet. Only a moment ago Anna had wished there were someone Elsa could trust, and here was one at last; but for whatever reason, the sight of Saul made her uncomfortable.

"As you can see, I am perfectly unharmed," Elsa said.

"Then I'm satisfied. That's all I needed to know." Saul took a breath, composing himself, and he took a careful step back. Just like that, they looked like any other pair of ruler and subject.

"Is that all?"

"I've also prepared the supply caravan, and they'll be heading out any moment now." Even Elsa gave pause, and Saul's lips turned into a close-mouthed smile. "I wanted to lessen your burden. You know you can always rely on me, Elsa. Please. Just keep it in mind."

"…Thank you," Elsa said. Anna was still reeling when Elsa added, quietly, "I will."

"I take my leave," Saul murmured, turning towards the door, and only then did he notice Anna. If he was surprised, he didn't look it. Giving her a polite nod that Anna returned, albeit warily, he left.

Elsa closed her eyes and rubbed at her temples again, this time with both hands. If Anna had wanted to ask more about Saul, she quickly decided against it. Her curiosity could wait until Elsa was more relaxed, and Anna wasn't sure she was curious for the right reason anyhow. And about those caravans…

"Would it be all right for me to go with the supply people?" Anna asked. Elsa looked up in confusion and she explained, "I know one of the stable-hands, Kristoff Bjorgman, and I want to visit if that's okay. Oh! And Edmund wanted to go? If that's okay too?"

Elsa eyed her carefully.

* * *

"I have no idea how you pulled it off, but from now on I worship you," Edmund gushed, making a show of swooning and almost falling into Kristoff's lap when the sled bounced over a particularly bumpy stretch of cobblestone.

"I don't know how I did it either," Anna said.

Kristoff heaved a great sigh and pushed Edmund away so he almost fell into Anna's lap, but to his credit he steadied himself before that happened. "So now I have to deal with the two of you while I'm working. Perfect, this is what I always wanted."

Anna crossed her arms, and Edmund followed her example with aplomb. "Hey, you're making it sound like we're not welcome."

"You said it, not me." Kristoff pulled back on the reins, and Sven slowed. Peering over the sled, Anna saw a thin layer of slick ice atop the snow, delaying the entire procession of supply sleds. "This really isn't that exciting. We just come out, pass out supplies, and go back."

"Are you kidding? This is great, I barely have a reason to leave my room usually," Edmund said. Anna nodded fervently, thinking of the four walls back in Arendelle.

"So you do this how often?" Anna asked.

Kristoff shrugged. "Once a week, sometimes more if the storm is especially bad. It never leaves, but sometimes it manages to get worse. Somehow."

Anna was slowly piecing together the bits and pieces she had picked up, and just looking outside she could tell the Southern Isles depended on foreign supplies. It wasn't as though anything could grow out here in the barren plains of ice, even if someone was crazy enough to try. Assuming Elsa really had no control over this winter, then…

"Does she only invade other kingdoms so she can feed these people?" Anna muttered.

She hadn't meant for anyone else to hear, but apparently she was louder than she thought. Edmund nodded and said, "Elsa's not that bad, really. She even let Alvard keep his title after…you know."

"Is that a big thing?"

"A huge thing," Edmund reported. "Tradition here is, trying to usurp the throne usually ends with your corpse being mutilated and strung up outside the gates for days."

Before Anna could comment, Kristoff interjected, "Invasion is still invasion."

"But she has a reason–"

"There's always a reason," Kristoff said, and Anna quieted. "Listen, I'm not saying she's some sort of evil witch, and I respect what she's doing, _here_, but look at it from another perspective. You can't deny that she still invades and kills and captures slaves."

That was true, and just as Anna managed to accrue some small bit of reassurance, she was reminded again of bitter reality. Kristoff had hardened his face, and not even Edmund had anything to say about his fate. The rest of the ride was silent, broken only by the howling of the wind, the thudding of hooves on snow and the clanking of wheels.

Once they were in the castle town, sleds slowly began to diverge from the front of the line and ride into the neighborhoods, a few at a time while the rest continued. Once they had moved to the front, Kristoff veered off to the side and down a narrower path with practically snowed-in homes on both sides.

"Just throw the packages to their doorstep," Kristoff said, hefting one of the boxes and chucking it so it landed neatly in front of a house.

"We don't even knock or anything?" Anna asked.

Edmund likewise frowned. "I sort of wanted to see people…"

"Well, they're not always glad to see you," Kristoff corrected.

With that thought in mind, Anna joined the other two in launching packages out. Just as Kristoff had predicted, people came out to take the parcels, but hardly with any excitement; Anna could see the resignation written plain on their faces as they hurriedly retreated back into the warmth of their hearth, but even that was preferable to the contempt from those who lingered a second longer to watch them. With each passing moment this trip was becoming less fun, if it had ever been.

Anna just felt cold, both inside and out.

"I didn't realize things were this bad," Edmund mumbled.

"…Yeah," Anna said back, but neither of them were much inclined to conversation anymore.

Minutes and nearly the entire neighborhood later, they came to one house where, unlike any of the others before, there stood an elderly woman bundled in a multitude of thick woolen cloaks. When she saw them, she smiled and walked out a bit further.

Maybe Kristoff realized how Anna was feeling, because he stopped the sled, handed her a parcel, and said, "Go ahead and give this to her personally."

Anna took it gratefully and jumped out of the sled, nearly slipping before balancing herself. Taking a deep breath to steady her sudden nerves, she felt the icy air burn in her lungs and realized how horrid the old woman felt standing out there. Her nerves weren't important enough to delay this a moment longer, so Anna hurried over.

"Hi, I'm, uhh, here with supplies," Anna began. She didn't know what else to say, so she hesitantly offered the package. To her relief, the woman accepted it and smiled again.

"Thank you, dear."

"A-Are you doing okay?" Anna asked. "I-I mean, I can try and, I don't know, get you something from the castle, or–"

"I'm perfectly all right. Thank you again, dear, you and your friends there. I don't think these old bones would last without you."

"But I haven't done anything. You should thank Elsa–"

Instantly, the woman's demeanor changed. It was as though the kindly old grandmother had been possessed by something dark and ugly, smile twisting into something Anna couldn't recognize. She spat her next words with undisguised loathing. "Elsa can rot for what she's done to these lands." And just like that, she retreated into her house and slammed the door.

But Elsa was the one who organized all of these things, Anna thought, though it was too late even if she weren't rendered speechless. Drawing another deep breath and hardly feeling the burn this time, she trudged back to the sled and clambered up.

"…I'm sorry," Edmund said.

"It's not fair. I don't get it," Anna whispered. "Why do people hate her so much?"

"Didn't you too?" Kristoff asked.

She had. She had hated Elsa so violently the thought of her used to make her sick, had hated her with every fiber of her being. Except now, as Kristoff directed Sven back to the castle and she looked up at the lonely spires up above, Anna wished people could know the Elsa she knew.

* * *

Kristoff dropped her off at the doors, and after she waved her goodbyes, Kristoff and Edmund left. Anna reminded herself to get Sven some carrots. Poor thing probably didn't get much rest, and she doubted Kristoff gave him all the treats he deserved. Not that Kristoff _wouldn't _if he could, but she knew his ability to procure fresh vegetables, probably more valuable than gold or silver here, was limited.

"Anna!"

She looked around at the call of her name, and to her surprise, she saw Hans staggering through the blizzard, one arm blocking his eyes as he walked. Anna started to jog over, glad to see him, until the memory of Elsa's warning resurfaced. She took a closer look at him, but his smile looked genuine and his eyes were, as always, warm like the green of spring. But still…

"Hans! Wh-What are you doing here?" Anna asked. Wasn't it odd that the thirteenth prince coincidentally happened to be aimlessly riding through the snow to meet her last time, and again just so happened to be strolling through a blizzard as she got back? Would he have some excuse…?

"Glad I caught you," Hans said. Anna hadn't been expecting the upfront answer at all, especially how he laughed nervously. "I-I don't know how to say this, but I was looking for you. I was worried after the news of the assassination, and Elsa's been keeping such tight watch on you that I haven't been able to visit. So when I heard you left with the supply caravan…"

"O-Oh." Anna shook her head. What was she thinking? Hans meant well, and her doubting him like this was petty. "I'm okay! Nothing happened. Uhh, I'm sorry about Alvard…"

"We weren't particularly close, but he was a good brother," Hans sighed. "But let's get inside before we talk. I'm sure you've been out long enough to last you a lifetime."

Once they made the short trek back to the castle, Anna claimed a seat on one of the lounge sofas next to the braziers, warming her hands. When she got too close, feeling sparks dance over her fingers, she flinched back with a yelp.

Hans chuckled and sat down next to her, tapping his boots to loosen some of the hardening rime. "Looks like I worried for no reason. You seem perfectly fine."

"Still clumsy," Anna quipped.

"Still Anna," Hans corrected, and his smile widened just the tiniest bit when she blushed and looked away. "Well. It's been a while since we were here, hasn't it?"

Only a few days ago, but so much had happened since then it really did feel like forever. Anna nodded and looked down, clenching her dress as the momentary delight in seeing Hans started fading away and the disconcerting experiences of her recent traipse returned with a vengeance.

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing!" Anna put on a smile and raised her head. "So! Why don't you tell me more about yourself?"

Strangely, Hans furrowed his eyebrows, for once looking less than perfect. "You really want to know more about…me?"

"Yeah, last time we spent most our time just talking about me," Anna said. "I wondered if you didn't like talking about yourself so I didn't ask too much, but then I thought, hey, I shouldn't make assumptions, maybe you were just being polite, so–"

"There's really nothing very interesting," Hans interrupted.

"Everybody has a story," Anna replied, and again, Hans looked troubled. "Sorry, I know I'm being pushy. We can talk about something else."

"I don't mean to be rude; I'm just not sure what to say."

"No, I understand."

Hans nodded, smiling once again and looking much more at ease. "But I _am _sure that something was troubling you earlier. I'd be more than happy to listen if you want to talk."

She had really wanted to keep her whole conflict about Elsa to herself, but Hans was looking at her so earnestly that she couldn't help telling him. "I just wonder what it must be like to be hated and feared by practically everyone," Anna murmured. "I can't even imagine…"

"Being hated isn't so bad. True pain is to be ignored, to be denied even the chance to prove yourself," Hans whispered. Anna looked over just in time to see him jerk back, and even from his tone she could tell he hadn't meant to say all that. Hans shook his head. "Forget that, I'm sorry. Who are you talking about, exactly?"

"Elsa," Anna answered, and Hans nodded.

"They do say horrible things about her. All the servants talk about how she doesn't eat or drink, or even sleep, as though she is inhuman."

"But I've seen her do all those things," Anna insisted.

"Are you sure they weren't for your benefit?" Hans smiled wryly when Anna froze. "I've been here for my entire life and I've also been watching. Elsa simply doesn't eat enough to sustain herself."

"…What are you saying?"

"There's almost always some truth in rumor," Hans said. "And there are so many secrets surrounding the queen. I'm not sure if you've heard, but the uppermost tower…"

Anna made a face. "Elsa's warned me about it."

"There are outlandish theories about it, and Elsa has never cared to explain. If there were nothing worth hiding, then why the secrecy?" Hans sighed. "And this winter…"

"She said she couldn't stop it." Hans looked skeptical. Anna admitted it sounded strange, but she thought there might be something more behind his doubt. "Do you hate her too, Hans?"

Hans stilled, and for a long moment he didn't speak. When he did, his words left carefully measured, and Anna couldn't be sure if it was because he had taken time to consider, or if he was trying to hide his actual opinion. "No, I don't. I understand why others might, but I personally have no grudge against her. But, I would feel better knowing there were no ghastly sacrifices taking place in the tower," Hans joked.

"Is _that _what they say?" Anna laughed.

"Yes! And that's not even the worst…"

They joked about the increasingly bizarre conspiracy theories, and Anna quite honestly got a kick out of the mind-blowingly creative guesses; but through it all, she couldn't help but wonder.

What exactly _was _in that tower?

* * *

Time passed quickly, and before Anna knew it, she had been in the Southern Isles for a full two weeks.

It helped that she had an established routine now. Every morning, she woke to find Elsa already perfectly composed and ready to go, having been awake for hours and working on one thing or another. Even though Elsa told her to take her time, Anna always rushed through washing up but somehow managed to come out looking halfway decent, one of the few talents she cherished. They would then leave for brunch, seated at a much shorter table now. Afterwards, Anna stayed with Elsa while she worked in her office.

She was starting to notice these little unconscious habits Elsa had. Whenever Elsa read over something particularly upsetting, she would nibble on her lower lip, and if something was especially boring, her fingers would move into a light rhythmic tap against her ivory desk. If Elsa bowed over too long, this one unruly strand of hair fell over her eye and she would let out a tiny hiss while she brushed it back.

When she heard Anna stifle a giggle one time, Elsa had asked, "Is there something funny?"

And Anna had just shaken her head, finding it even harder to stay quiet when Elsa's face scrunched up into a little frown of confusion.

After lunch, Anna had her own exploration time. By the time the two weeks were over, she had scoured nearly the entire castle. Now and then, she would visit Kristoff and Sven in the stables, and she always made sure to bring carrots for Sven.

"Nothing for me?" Kristoff asked once when Anna didn't bring him krumkake like he had requested. "I do a lot of work around here too…"

"Oh, you do a lot of work? So tell me, how heavy was the sled you pulled around?" Sven whinnied in glee and Kristoff threw his hands up, walking away muttering about traitors while Anna fed the reindeer.

Other days her exploration would be joined by Edmund or Hans, though never both at the same time.

"Edmund and I are very different," Hans had explained, a much more political answer than Edmund's blunt, "I try my best to avoid him."

Of course, she ran into many of the other princes. She encountered Gustaf in the lounge looking incredibly _bored_, and he invited her to sit in on a game of chess. When Cyrus lost, he blamed it on her and Fabian called him a sore loser, and Gustaf just gave her a shrug like their impromptu fistfight was common business. Anna wisely backed out of there when he started flinging chess pieces at their heads and barking out orders to stop.

Contrary to Elsa's prediction, she _had _seen Stefan, a quick glimpse when he destroyed one of the tackier paintings, muttering something under his breath about it being disgraceful. Edmund had introduced her to Rafael, and she was very much impressed when he composed a violin piece right then and there in celebration of their meeting. It sounded like a funeral dirge, but Edmund assured her that was a good sign. She learned from Rafael that Elsa could also play various instruments, but Anna had yet to muster the courage to ask her to play anything.

"I'm sure she would if you just asked," Edmund said often. But whenever Anna asked him _why_, he just looked away and grinned.

Dinner came around quickly, and Anna now looked forward to the occasion so generally made it there early. Elsa never mentioned it, but Anna could see her smiling as she seated herself. Conversation was usually about Arendelle. If the first day had been uncomfortable, once she got used to the routine Anna found herself unable to _stop _talking about the home she missed. It helped that Elsa was a very good audience, paying full attention and asking the right questions. She seemed genuinely interested, drinking in _anything_ Anna said about her boring castle life with barely veiled fascination.

And then one day, they got to the topic of her family.

"Pappa's really overprotective, so the gates are almost always closed," Anna said. "But sometimes I manage to sneak out, and I'm pretty sure a lot of people in the market recognize me now–"

"Your father loves you a lot, then?"

"Uh-huh. I'm technically the heir, but Pappa's never made me do anything I didn't want to. Like all those classes and stuff! I only had to take the most important ones, and I know he doesn't mind when I'm all undignified even though I should be poised and regal and – uhh, _royal_, like you." Anna was so lost in memory she didn't notice Elsa growing quiet until it was too late. By the time she knew, Elsa had already trained her face into an expressionless mask, which Anna knew was her way of looking troubled.

Anna could have kicked herself. She _knew _about Elsa's parents, and she had to keep talking about her own like she was flaunting her happy family.

"…I remember when I first came here," Elsa said. "I was just another commoner until Markus took me in, and I was grateful. I was trained to be, as you say, _royal_."

"Did you like it?" Anna asked softly.

Elsa smiled wryly and shook her head. "I wanted to impress the man who had rescued me, but I hated all the etiquette lessons. I would sneak chocolates, sometimes."

Anna laughed, partly amused and partly relieved Elsa didn't seem offended. "I can't imagine you breaking the rules. You just seem so…perfect."

"I'm hardly perfect," Elsa said. "Can you tell me more, Anna?"

"Sure! Oh, I need to tell you about my best friend back home, Joan of Arc…"


	9. And It Looks Like I'm the Queen

**a/n: **I now have tumblr (kaiserklee), so feel free to add me! Random Frozen convos welcome. I do take prompts as well.

* * *

**Chapter 9: And It Looks Like I'm the Queen**

Today, Anna decided to head to the libraries.

Anna had been everywhere else and having just one place uncharted gnawed at her sense of completion. Well, there was still one other place; but when she mentioned it, Edmund had been outright belligerent about the so-called _forbidden tower_. Of course, him telling her _not _to go made her want to even more, but Elsa had warned her before not to trespass. Anna decided on the libraries for now.

She was sure nothing could possibly go wrong.

Until she started to turn the doorknob, and a gloved hand clamped down on her wrist.

Anna screamed at the ghostly apparition suddenly standing where she was sure no one had been before, and she tripped backwards when she was released without a second warning. She stumbled but managed to keep on her feet – all her time walking over ice was starting to pay off – and stared with wide eyes as the figure stepped out from the darkness.

"You have a healthy set of lungs."

"W-Wait. You're not a ghost?" Anna took a closer look at the stranger and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him roll his eyes.

"Do I look like one?"

She wanted to say yes. Whoever this man was, it was obvious he almost never saw the light of day. Even if sunlight in the Southern Isles was limited, nobody was pale enough to look bloodless. Well, except for maybe Elsa, but instead of her snow-white skin, he had skin white like chalk. With a gaunt face and hollow cheeks framed by long black hair, Anna honestly felt no guilt in thinking he was a ghost at first sight. Especially when he just crept out of nowhere.

But a white lie never hurt anybody.

"No!" Anna said. "You just surprised me."

"Hmm. I'm not going to ask your name, since everybody knows who you are. I'm Tobias, the fourth prince. Not particularly pleased to make your acquaintance." With that, Tobias brushed past her and made to enter the library himself.

Whatever courtesy Anna was willing to give Tobias just flew out the window. "Hey, it is _not _nice to just–"

"My mistake, I'm sorry," Tobias snorted, turning his head only to look down his nose at her like he was staring down a particularly ugly insect. "I should refrain from angering the queen's beloved pet. Who knows what could happen to me?"

"Wh-What did you call me?"

"Oh, please. Everybody knows," Tobias said. "Now if you're done parading your moronic tendencies, I would like to leave your presence."

And before Anna could retort, he flung the door open, walked in, and slammed it shut in her face. When she tried to open the door again, the doorknob only rattled; Tobias had locked it. Anna banged her fist against the hardwood, furious and confused, but there was no response. For several minutes she simply stood there and fumed at what was perhaps the most ungracious treatment she had received yet, and then impulse made her lean down. Placing her ear at the keyhole, Anna listened for anything at all.

And to her surprise, she _did _hear a voice.

"Is he talking to himself?" Anna wondered aloud.

She couldn't quite make out the voice, but she assumed it was Tobias. But was it just a little too deep to be him? Although the words were indistinct, the moment Anna began listening in she could tell the speaker abruptly, deliberately cut himself off as though _knowing _she was there. Then a sudden force pulsed outward from the door, like a crashing ocean wave that was air instead of water; Anna was thrown right off her feet and landed on her back three feet away, head slamming against the floor with a dull crack. She saw stars as the heavy impact knocked her breath away.

"Hey! Are you all right?"

Anna barely registered whoever it was. Her head was still swimming when someone lifted her into a sitting position, and only after long moments of blinking did her vision regain some measure of clarity. Short-cropped blond hair, toweringly tall but just a little gangly, and features hawkish but otherwise youthful. Alek, her fuzzy thoughts told her, this one was Alek, the one close to – Alvard.

"This is _not_ good," Anna mumbled.

"Not good? Hey. Can you see my hand right now?" Alek held out his hand and waved it back and forth, and Anna frowned until she realized he was trying to check her for a _concussion_. Whoops.

She grabbed his hand and said, "Sorry, I meant I'm fine. Umm, thanks anyway." Shaking her head to clear her mind, Anna got back to her feet. She nearly fell again from vertigo.

"…Yeah, no," Alek said, scowling. "Look, I'm not the type of person to talk around something. You don't seem well and I'm not equipped to check, so I'm going to bring you to someone who is."

"No, I'm fine, thanks." Anna half-suspected this was some sort of ploy to murder her for what happened to his brother so she tried to escape, to no avail; Alek grabbed her by the arm, not exactly rough but certainly not gentle either.

"You're being stupid," Alek said flatly, and he pulled her along.

Anna had no choice but to follow, but her balance was still a little off and she realized she must have hit her head harder than she thought. When Alek noticed her stumbling along, he heaved a sigh and bent down. Anna stared at the strange sight until he turned his head with a grimace.

"I'll carry you there," Alek said.

"Umm, thanks, but no thanks–"

"Look, this is going to take all day otherwise."

She still thought this was a trap, but if she was going to her death, she might as well be carried there. Anna shrugged and scrambled up his back, and like that they were off again. Alek walked with long strides that left Anna feeling like she was on a horse, head bobbing up and down until she felt sick.

Anna didn't realize she made any sound of discomfort, but Alek shifted and to her surprise said, "Sorry, I'll go a little slower. Just try not to throw up on me."

"You're being awfully nice. Aren't you mad? About Alvard?" Anna mumbled. She must have _really _hit her head. She was just blurting out whatever came to mind.

"One day, I will avenge him," Alek agreed, but his confident tone shifted to confusion when he added, "But what does that have to do with you?"

"Well, I was…there?"

Alek took a deep breath and hefted her higher as she began to slip off his back. "I've heard," Alek said, but Anna was shocked to hear him mutter, "And I feel I owe you an apology."

"What?" Anna shook her head, sure she had misheard. "Did you just say–"

"Please don't think badly of Alvard," Alek said. "I'm not sure _what _he was thinking, but I can tell you that hurting you was never part of his plan. He would never hurt an innocent; Alvard always, _always_ taught me that our duty was to protect."

Oh. Through her still-foggy vision, Anna watched as Alek bowed his head a little from the proud stance he bore before. Truth be told, she had never even considered what Alvard had been like as a person. He had just been the assassin. Seeing how torn up Alek was, she couldn't find the heart to tell him his beloved brother had deliberately aimed for her, either to bait Elsa or out of simple spite.

"…I believe you. Apology accepted," Anna whispered.

Alek nodded and murmured a quiet thanks, and for a long stretch of their journey to wherever – Anna had a feeling now that he wasn't really trying to murder her – they were silent. After Anna had turned his words over for the fourth time, however, she had to correct something.

"Elsa's innocent too."

"That accursed witch is hardly innocent," Alek spat, and Anna was too shocked by the sudden venom to protest. "She killed Alvard, and imprisoned you here–"

"Alvard did try to kill her too," Anna said, and a muscle twitched in Alek's jaw. "Besides, _I'm_ not even complaining about the imprisonment or whatever, so I don't know why you're throwing a fit."

Alek turned his head, brow furrowing and eyes oddly sympathetic. "You're stronger than you look, to bear Elsa's perverse cruelties. I can't imagine what it must be like to live under her whim."

"…I think you have the wrong idea. What kind of–?"

"We're here," Alek said, freeing one hand to knock on the door. Anna had been too preoccupied and dizzy to notice, but now she realized they were back in the princes' wing.

When the door opened, they were greeted by Saul.

_I am just running into everyone I don't want to run into today._

"She hit her head," Alek explained.

Saul nodded and let them in, keeping the door open for what Anna assumed was propriety's sake. Alek deposited her on the sofa leaning against the far wall, and she noted that Saul's room was decorated with blueprints and a variety of woodcraft. An entire section of wall was so marked up the originally white wallpaper was barely visible, the entire expanse covered with scrawled diagrams and mind-bogglingly complicated designs of inventions Anna had never seen before. On the shelves sat intricate wooden miniatures of ships and cannons detailed down to the individual gear.

Out of everything practical though, Anna noticed a lone snowflake in the middle and standing in its own plinth above the rest.

"I leave her to your care," Alek said. Turning to Anna, he added, "And I hope to see you around. It was nice meeting you, Anna."

"Yeah, you too," Anna said. Far from what she had expected, she genuinely liked Alek. She would need to do something about his strange hate for Elsa, but aside from being a little cryptic and melodramatic about the whole perverse tortures thing, Alek really wasn't that bad a guy.

Except for how he left her with Saul. Anna had no idea why, but Saul gave her bad vibes ever since that time in Elsa's office, and no, it had nothing to do with the way he looked at Elsa.

It just made her chest tighten and her stomach plummet, but no, there was no connection.

"I don't believe we've ever been introduced," Saul said, walking closer and kneeling to eye level. "I'm Saul. Alek may not have mentioned it, but I am the resident medic here."

"Aren't you a prince?" Anna snorted.

"I am multifaceted," Saul answered, making it sound entirely matter-of-fact and not in any way bragging. Anna grudgingly gave him that, considering the evidence all around his room. "I'm going to check your head now." With that warning, he dove his hand into her hair in search for the bruise, and Anna winced when he found it. "Are you feeling nausea, or a headache, or…?"

"Not really anymore."

"Follow my finger with your eyes, please." If she weren't so bewildered by the surreal situation Anna might not have done it, but as it were, she obediently followed the slender digit back and forth, up and down, until Saul made a satisfied hum in the back of his throat.

"So…?" Anna asked.

Saul rose and walked over to an antique-looking chest, flicking the latch open. "Luckily you don't have a concussion, only a rather egregious bruise, but your balance will be affected for now so I recommend you stay for a little while. I'll make you some herbal tea while you wait, and it should help you recover."

"Are you sure I can't just leave now?"

"I would not return you to Elsa while any less than perfect," Saul said. Retrieving a packet of tea leaves from the chest and then two beautiful cups likely of his own design – one of ivory and glazed with magnolia, the other obsidian and glazed with lilac – Saul began brewing at the nearby table with what Anna thought was an unnecessarily expert air.

Was there anything this guy _couldn't _do?

"Well, I probably still won't be as perfect as you," Anna grumbled. She wrung her hands together and glared down at her lap. Why was she so dead set on comparing herself against him? She just felt so inadequate all of a sudden, and even though she had never thought of herself as _above _anyone, she had certainly never felt quite so useless either. "_I _couldn't help her manage the supply thing."

"But you make her happy."

"How do you know that?" Anna asked.

"Look outside," Saul said. "You've noticed, haven't you? Ever since you arrived, the snowstorm has been slowly weakening. And that time, when we first met. I'd never seen Elsa so content before." Saul returned and handed her a cup of tea, a small smile on his face. Anna watched him as he took a deep breath of the aroma first, then closed his eyes and took a careful sip.

The habit really, really reminded her of Elsa.

"…You like her, right?" Anna asked.

Saul stilled. Slowly, he moved the tea cup away, and Anna could see the tinge of mourning in his otherwise polite smile. "May I sit?"

"It's your room," Anna muttered. She scooted over.

"We met when we were still children, but from the moment I saw her, I knew," Saul said, sitting down next to her and nursing the cup in his hands, rolling it in between his palms as he spoke. "I knew she was the one I would wait for. Her grace, her nobility of spirit. Nobody will ever be able to compare."

_Suddenly I don't want to hear this, _Anna thought uncomfortably, but she hung onto his words, transfixed and anxious.

"Every moment we spend apart is filled with thoughts of her," Saul continued, with curiously restrained passion. "But though my soul cries for her, I know she will never return my affections and I dare not even dream of it. I only want to be by her side, Anna. It matters not how brief the time, but as long as I can be of some use to her, that time will be filled with the utmost joy."

"Umm – I think you should drink the tea before it gets cold," Anna said hurriedly, diving nose-first into her own cup.

She didn't know if Saul had ever said anything like that to Elsa, but if he had, Anna figured that was a perfectly good reason for her to _not_ want anything to do with him. Either way, Anna was completely sure she didn't want Saul saying any more of it to _her_. It was romantic enough to read that sort of thing in fairytales, but to hear someone actually say it?

_Grace – nobility of spirit – soul must cry – filled with joy – I didn't think anybody really talked like that! _Anna shivered into her tea, then hoped it wasn't spiked with anything that was making Saul act funny.

"You are lucky to have her," Saul said.

Anna spat out a mouthful of tea.

"Wait, I'm sorry, what?"

Saul tilted his head as Anna looked on in horror, feeling heat creep up the back of her neck until the tips of her ears burned red. "You don't have to hide anything; I have no intention of getting in between you two. You are involved with Elsa, correct?"

"_What_? I-I don't even…I don't know what you're talking about!" Anna took a deep breath, but far from calming her nerves, it made her want to hyperventilate. "Me and Elsa? W-We're both girls!"

"There's nothing wrong with that," Saul shrugged. "And it is common knowledge that Elsa chose to risk herself to save you from Alvard, and what more, you two have shared a room for weeks now–"

"We sleep in separate beds!" Anna said. Suddenly, what Tobias mocked her about and what Alek said about Elsa's sadistic tortures rushed back with alarming clarity. Did everyone think…?

Saul smiled knowingly, and Anna was sure her face was the same color as her hair by now. "But this is Queen Elsa, the same queen who distances anyone and everyone. If she felt nothing for you, she would not go to such lengths to protect you."

"So you're saying that Elsa–" Anna couldn't finish her sentence. She clutched at her tea like it was a lifeline, hands shaking and breath coming in short, ragged spurts.

"Are you averse to the idea of two women?"

Anna shook her head. She wasn't the type to judge, but she wasn't attracted to women, right? But now that someone, _anyone_ brought up the subject, Anna realized she had never thought about it. She lived in a protective bubble with no one but her father and very familiar servants, so of course not. She found Hans good-looking though. But was she actually attracted to him? No. She was flattered by his attention, but attracted? No. Did she find Elsa…?

"This is _not_ good," Anna groaned, covering her face in her hands trying to hide the heat snaking its way up her neck. Elsa was beautiful. She was all those things Saul talked about, but in a less creepy way, and Anna realized just how much she had been ogling her perfect, practically translucent skin, her silk-like platinum blonde hair, her tiny smile curling at the edge of her lips…

"I apologize for making assumptions," Saul said, awkwardly patting her back.

"N-No, I can't even blame you…"

"Well, no," Saul agreed. "You do realize the entire castle is gossiping about this?"

"Please just stop talking."

"Elsa has been furious." Anna looked up to see Saul in deep thought. "It makes sense now, if there was nothing going on. She would want to protect your reputation. But, of course, her reaction to those who spread the rumors only seemed to confirm them…"

"What did she do?" Anna asked.

"You remember Commander Andersen?" Saul smiled when Anna nodded. "Last I hear, he was called to the throne room. You can go see for yourself."

* * *

Elsa paid no mind to anything anyone said about her. She knew what they said, of course – that she was a wicked sorceress, a monster who had cursed the lands, even that she was an usurper – but she knew exactly what she was doing. After so long she had grown numb to their words, but to hear them speak ill of _Anna_ was…intolerable. Anna was not like her. She should never have been mentioned in the same vein as her, and Elsa would not allow it to continue.

"Commander Andersen. I believe you are in my service to defend our kingdom," Elsa said, casting a frigid gaze down to the boorish man. "So why, then, do you find it necessary to engage in trivial gossip like an uncultured barbarian?"

One of Alvard's in the past, Elsa knew. It was little surprise to find that Andersen had been teaching his men to spread malicious lies about Anna, the _least _of which was about their supposed illicit relationship. Crude, lewd things for which Elsa had no words to describe her revulsion.

"With all due respect," Andersen said, voice a mixture of fear and defiance, "I don't understand what you're trying to say, Your Majesty."

Elsa slammed her hand against the arm of her throne, feeling her power hum beneath her fingertips, the crackling of electricity and the chill of ice straining and begging to be released. The sheer force of her ire shattered a window, letting the storm winds whip their way inside. "I tire of games. Will you speak, or must I pass the same judgment on to you as I did your men?"

Andersen glanced over at the window and then back, swallowing nervously and bowing his head the tiniest bit further. "I assure you, Your Majesty, that I had nothing to do with it."

It took every last bit of control Elsa had to contain the mounting rush through her veins. She had barely noticed the change until now, so gradual it had been, but her muted emotions were returning slowly but surely. When she was with Anna, Elsa could _feel_ again, the hint of nervousness and the inexhaustible spring of warmth only the bright girl's presence could give her.

On the other hand, memories of the past resurfaced along with those emotions. And as more and more of her focus slipped, Elsa found it harder to maintain the mask she had worn for so long. Even her rage manifested itself more powerfully, and once something threatened Anna…

"I wonder if I should take the word of a man desperate to keep his life, or that of a man in his death throes," Elsa murmured. She watched as Andersen paled, feeling a surge of vicious satisfaction. "Many of the others chose only to speak at the end, Commander, but humans will always speak."

Was _she_ still a human, Elsa wondered? After what she had done to herself? Anna made her feel like she still was; Anna could convince her that she was more than just an empty shell, but the moment her warmth was missing from her side, Elsa wondered if she had made a mistake. She had allowed her powers to define who she was. There was a time she used to revel in what she thought was freedom, had been able to tell herself she was now above mankind. She used to think herself free from pain after what she did, but ever since Anna…

"I – I really had nothing to do–"

"If that is your last word, then I will believe you," Elsa said. She waited for the reluctant hope to grow, for Andersen to believe he had been allowed reprieve, before adding, "But then I must punish you for another fault, Commander. Surely you remember my orders for the Princess of Arendelle to be treated as a guest of honor while she was transported here?"

Andersen paled once again, even worse than last time if that were possible. Even from afar, Elsa could see the cold sweat on his brow. "Y-Your Majesty–"

"There is no excuse I will accept," Elsa hissed.

It had been too long since she allowed her power to run free.

Ice ripped from her fingertips, carving through both carpet and stone as it arced way towards the man. It was so fast he couldn't have reacted, faster than the human eye could hope to follow, four tendrils of ice hardening around his arms and legs and holding him in place as he kneeled completely helpless. With a single thought, the temperature of the already freezing ice dropped further, to the point where smoke rose and Elsa could smell searing flesh. Andersen let out a choked sob and then a scream as his skin burned into a blackened husk, but even that silenced when the ice spread over his face.

Well, she would put him out of his misery.

Elsa raised a hand and a large icicle blossomed from her palm, almost like a bone slowly being pulled from her body. Fully formed, the spear of ice simply hovered in the air at the tip of her fingers, a long, jagged blade with cruelly serrated edges. Elsa took aim and prepared to let it fly…

"_Elsa!_"

The spear shattered as her concentration broke. Like waking from a dream, like rising from the depths of an ocean, all of her bloodlust vanished at the sound of Anna's voice. Elsa looked on in shock as Anna burst in, breathing heavily and eyes wide at the gruesome scene that welcomed her. Anna looked up, the darker, warmer blue of her eyes meeting her own. Elsa couldn't understand the pleading she saw.

_Why do you ask for mercy on his behalf, after what he did to you? _

"Please, Elsa. Stop," Anna whispered. "This isn't you."

As though her body weren't her own, Elsa felt her hand move of its own accord. With a wave, the ice encasing Andersen shattered as well, leaving him burned and gasping for air but alive.

"I don't want you to see this," Elsa said, desperate to get Anna away from the evidence of her inhumanity. _I don't want you to be afraid of me. I don't want you to be like everyone else. _"Go. I will have someone tend to his wounds."

"…All right," Anna said quietly.

She left without another word. As the doors slammed shut again, Elsa leaned back against her throne, feeling for the first time in forever, fear.

* * *

Dinner was a tense affair, neither of them willing to speak of what had happened but unable to find distractions. Anna ate in silence; Elsa once again refused to eat and looked away from her eyes, stress lining the corners of her pursed lips as she clutched her arms to herself. Anna noticed the gloves were back. Even when they retired to their shared room, no words were spoken, and they went to their respective beds.

Sleep came uneasily.

A loud shout pierced Anna's fitful slumber. Sitting up sharply but hearing nothing else, she wondered if it had been a dream. For the past weeks, Elsa slept without a sound if she slept at all; Anna suspected she only made a show of it, and a long night of vigil had confirmed it. It was dark all around her save for some moonlight spilling in from the window, and looking across from her bed, she could see Elsa.

Another shout caught her attention. Her eyes widened in concern, now that she was sure the cry had really come from Elsa. She scrambled out of bed and hurried over.

"Elsa?" Anna murmured, tentatively laying a hand on her shoulder.

Elsa rolled over, curled up in a ball on the bed, form trembling visibly. Anna had never seen her like this before, vulnerable even beyond that one time she had been injured. Elsa continued shaking her head side to side, uttering a long string of unintelligible words, hands clutching at her sheets as she flinched like she was in pain.

Nightmares, Anna realized. No wonder she refused to sleep. Anna bit her lip as Elsa gave another sudden flinch. What should she do? Should she wake her? Or would Elsa be upset and embarrassed about Anna discovering this weakness? But she couldn't just leave Elsa like this…

The decision was taken out of her hands when Elsa gave another loud cry. This time she clutched her chest where her heart was, fingers digging into the area with such visceral strength that her nails cut into her flesh, flecks of blood seeping through her nightshirt even as the wound began to heal. Ice spread over the canopy of her bed, snaking across the fabric and then down the supporting beams.

"Elsa!" Anna shook her harder.

Instantly, Elsa snapped her eyes open; but they weren't the gentle eyes Anna had become used to. They were feral like those of a wounded animal, and Anna thought she even saw the blue of her eyes flare so brightly they glowed. But it was only for an instant. Even as Elsa continued to clutch at her chest, she pushed Anna away with a wild swing of her free hand. Another pained moan ripped past Elsa's lips as she doubled over, and this time Anna recognized the sound as one of loss. Mourning, as though something precious had been torn from her.

Anna's heart throbbed as she watched Elsa suffer. Fighting past her struggling, Anna wrapped her arm around Elsa, propping her up so that when she held her trembling form, Elsa's head rested on her shoulder and her forehead against her neck. Shock washed over her when Elsa suddenly, instinctively wrapped her arms around her waist, quivering violently.

"A-Anna?" Elsa whispered, clinging to her frame. In the dim moonlight spilling in, Anna could see Elsa's normally controlled face marred with fright as recognition returned, but her senses clearly had not. Her gaze was still vacant and delirious, staring blankly with feverish light. What would it be like to wake from a nightmare and wonder with horror if you were still dreaming?

"It's me. It's Anna, I'm right here." It took everything she had to keep the tremble out of her voice as she rested her cheek on the top of Elsa's head.

"Anna…?" Elsa murmured, eyes slowly sliding shut again. "I-I have to check…I have to see…I don't want to be broken anymore…the tower…Anna…"

Elsa's grip didn't slacken as she fell still again, trembling abating and breathing relaxing into a regular pattern at last. Smoothing back her hair, Anna cradled her gently, allowing tears to finally break free from her eyelids and slide down her face.

"You're not broken," Anna whispered.

Whatever made Elsa the way she was lay in the tower.

Anna decided then and there that she would confront whatever was tormenting her.


	10. In the Depths of Winter

**Chapter 10: In the Depths of Winter**

Anna set off before her courage could leave her.

After throwing on her cloak and taking one last glance at Elsa, Anna left the room and shut the door with a quiet click. She knew her way around well enough she could have traversed the castle blind, and with single-minded focus she sped through the dark halls.

Back at the main hall, Anna scaled the spiraling staircase built into the wall and stepped off to the upper level, then through the doors to the balcony. As if to deter her path, the blizzard raged strong tonight, enough to chill through her cloak and make Anna feel like she would be blown away any moment. She forged on. At the other end of the balcony lay a narrow corridor, and the longer she walked through it, the more the stone transitioned to ice, until eventually Anna felt like she was walking through a glacier.

Then out of the ice rose a staircase, glowing ethereal blue and sparkling with light all along its length.

"I can do this," Anna muttered.

She took the first step with bated breath, half-expecting to be struck down. Nothing happened. Swallowing and feeling the air thin, Anna ascended the staircase. Every step upwards was harder than the last, like an invisible hand pressed down on her back, until Anna was forced to steady herself by gripping the railing. Immediately, the pressure lifted. With a musical hum, _something _in the ice responded and granted her passage.

Anna had no idea why, but she wasn't about to question a stroke of good luck. She spared no more time and dashed up the rest of the stairs, taking one, then two, then three at a time, her heart pounding in her chest and anticipation building in the pit of her stomach. She at last came to a door, and she knew this was _the _door she was looking for, because it was locked. Not just locked. There was no doorknob, no handle, no visible means of opening at all, only a perfectly smooth pane of ice engraved with a snowflake insignia spidering across the entire.

Carefully, Anna placed her hand against it.

And the ice deconstructed itself. Anna drew back with a gasp as the snowflake pattern spun, and with each revolution the ice looked to be drawn into its core, until finally the entire door disappeared and the snowflake itself burst into infinitesimal particles scattering into the air. Nothing else impeded her path.

She stepped through.

And saw herself staring back.

When Anna flinched, the other Anna did the same. It was only a reflection. She had entered an unassuming circular chamber, with floor, walls, and ceiling hewn from featureless gray stone, and on the other end of the room was a mirror. Trying and failing to control her increasingly heavy breathing, Anna edged closer. Not a mirror but a _broken _one, with half or less slotted within a circular-frame stand, not all the fragments even joined. Strange silver runes were etched all around the obsidian circumference and even on the mirror itself, the markings looking to form a kaleidoscope.

Laid vertically at the base of the mirror was a black casket. As Anna walked closer, she began to see that the glossy exterior was only a casing for a tablet of ice. Electricity crackled over its length, currents flitting across at regular intervals. Anna couldn't see it clearly because of the wisps of fog it released, and only when she carefully leaned over did she realize–

It was not a tablet but a coffin.

Beneath the transparent ice lay a man.

Anna stumbled back with a muffled scream. When she hit the floor, her fingers brushed over ever more runes, and Anna vaguely realized the floor was not, in fact, featureless. Tiny grooves had been cut into the stone, so shallow as to be barely noticeable, and the moment her finger ran along the indentations…

Light burst from the tiny channel. It surged along the curves etched into the floor then leapt onto the lines on the walls, illuminating the countless arcs that came together at strange angles to complete the design. Anna rose to her feet and saw at last that she stood in some kind of runic circle with the mirror at its outer rim, and her eyes followed the light upwards. Centered in the ceiling was a chandelier blossoming outwards like a flower of ice.

"What's going on…?" Anna muttered.

As she watched, the chandelier lowered of its own accord until it hovered at eye level. Sharp edges retracted one by one, each blade sliding inwards, each serration folding back. What remained was a chandelier with its center hollowed out, leaving _something _behind to glow so brightly Anna couldn't discern what it was.

She was in over her head. She had no idea what was going on anymore, but she'd come too far to just give up. Anna edged forward as the blue light dimmed. A single snowflake. Just like the mirror, it was marked with a kaleidoscope. Before her eyes it continuously replicated, fractaling upon itself again and again, infinitely, to form a transparent orb with that single snowflake flickering brightly in the center. It was a single unbroken piece that could fit in the palm of her hand, no seams, no edges, no flaws. It was pure and perfect.

And Anna could hear it.

A tendril of foreign thought touched her own, a vague consciousness that hovered between clarity and sleep; and Anna immediately knew, without a doubt, it was that orb. No. Not the orb. That was only a protective shell. It was…that strange snowflake. Except it wasn't really so strange after all. It felt familiar, too familiar, a mixture of unbridled power and comforting cold that Anna had grown to know intimately these past few weeks. Anna wasn't sure how it was even possible, but the moment she felt that whisper over her mind she knew.

"…_Elsa_?"

She had to make sure. Anna reached forward.

But the instant her fingers brushed over the icy surface, the globe released a pulse of force that threw Anna back. Anna widened her eyes in disbelief as it began spinning in a frenetic rhythm, releasing a shrill, earsplitting hum as waves of white arced from its perimeter. Even if there were warning she was too close to avoid the bolt of ice headed straight for her.

It pierced through to her heart.

Anna fell to her knees as cold spread through her veins, not all at once but something persistent, trickling through her blood so she could never get it out. It was agony and loneliness and resignation all at once, emotions that were not hers but excruciatingly strong, emotions that had built and built, strained against their repression, and finally released. Anna could barely breathe. Tears flowed from her eyes without pause, until she thought she might black out and die from the phantom anguish.

And then footsteps.

"She really did it. She really made a reliquary."

With all of her effort, Anna turned her head. Tobias strode in, triumph and glee plain on his face as his eyes roved across the chamber. When he saw her, his lips curved into a wide smile.

"I have you to thank," Tobias breathed. "Without you, I wouldn't have made it this far."

"Wh-What are you trying to do?" Anna gasped. She tried to get up, to do anything, but she only collapsed onto the floor fighting for breath.

"Alvard was an idiot, trying to kill Elsa. Our kingdom would fall in days without her powers; Elsa is too valuable to lose," Tobias admitted. He looked to the orb, at the snowflake within, and his voice lowered into a throaty rasp. "But here are her powers, manifested in physical form. I'll claim it for myself, I'll inherit her power, and I'll be the one to rule."

"Her…powers?" With all of her strength, Anna crawled forward and clutched at his leg. She had to stop whatever he was planning. All of this was her fault…

Tobias frowned at her. "If you must know, I'll tell you what she did to herself. Even you must have noticed how unnatural Elsa is. Her body isn't sustained by food, or drink, or breath, but _this_. It's old magic, you know, carving out your heart. We call it a reliquary."

The snowflake.

It was…her heart…?

"She's not even human anymore," Tobias sneered, seemingly delighted by the horror that grew on Anna's face. "A reliquary is sacrifice meant to amplify magical power, but it destroys your emotions. You know what that means? That _thing _you see there...is Elsa's frozen heart. She carved it out. For power."

"N-No. You're wrong," Anna whispered. Try as she might, the cold was spreading too fast. Her eyelids were so heavy her vision dimmed.

"…Hmm. Maybe," Tobias admitted, looking over to the coffin. "She's been using her reliquary to keep Father alive, I see. Well, that will be something I discontinue after I gain control over it. And even the Mirror is here. I really must thank you, Anna. You have given me everything I will ever need."

Tobias reached out for the reliquary.

Anna surrendered to the darkness and closed her eyes.

* * *

_Anna._

Elsa woke to the feeling of pain, true pain, lancing through where her heart had been. Anna was in danger. She could feel her reliquary pulsing wildly, and she knew Anna must know, now, what she had done to herself. But Elsa was too afraid for Anna's safety to even begin to worry about her reaction.

She threw the covers off and dropped to the floor, pushing her fingers into the carpet. They sank in without resistance and Elsa pulled a thick pillar of ice up to waist level, still connected to the ground. She leaned forward and shot off like an arrow, gripping the column tightly as it rippled through the ground and pushed her down the corridors at breakneck speed. Even the floor moved under her feet, turning to ice and propelling her down the hallway fast enough to make the wind whip around her hair.

Rounding the corners, Elsa's moving ice floor reached the staircase up to the balcony. There wasn't enough time. As soon as she was clear of the low ceiling of the hallway she bent her knees to absorb the impending shock. The ice burst upwards violently, sending Elsa flying up an entire level. As she reached the railing, she extended a hand and created another moving platform that rapidly carried her through the doors and then rippled across the balcony as she sprinted.

"Let me make it there in time," Elsa begged, not caring which of any higher power heard her, only that one _did _and would spare Anna.

She jumped onto the crystalline staircase and urged it to take her up.

_Let me make it there in time._

_…Wait for me, Anna._

* * *

She woke to the warmth of sun.

Anna barely remembered what it was like to feel sunlight, real sunlight. Not the weak rays filtering through thick clouds but the sun of a bright summer day, and she even vaguely recognized the spongy field she was lying on to be a field of grass. It was so comfortable that Anna stretched out and relaxed for a long moment, until she realized something was very, very wrong. Why was there sun and grass? She opened her eyes and blinked against the blindingly strong light, marveling at the sun hanging in the sky unobscured by snow and hail. Was this even the Southern Isles?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a gentle call. "Elsa! Where are you?"

Anna sat up immediately. She was in the middle of a large garden belonging to a modest one-storied home, made of pale red stone and with a flattened roof, but she could care less about _where _she was when her eyes fell on the little girl standing not far away. Only a few steps away, practically in arm's reach, stood…

"Elsa?" Anna murmured. She was so young, four or five at most. Her face still had yet to develop into the sculpted porcelain features she would later possess, instead rounded with baby fat. Her clothing was not the elegant dress of flowing ice, but a simple blue cloth of an ordinary commoner. But Anna would never mistake her for another person. She had the same pale blonde hair, the same ice-blue eyes, and even now she bore an unmistakable air of grace.

"Coming, Mamma! I'll be there in a minute!"

Anna gasped when she saw Elsa grin, her wide eyes sparkling with mischief. She was so _happy_. In all their days together, Anna had never once seen her smile like that. Elsa didn't spare her a second glance as though having a stranger in their garden was nothing strange, her lips forming a pout of concentration as she bent down to pick a few flowers. Anna tentatively reached out, but instead of patting Elsa on the shoulder, her hand passed right through.

"Whoa!" Anna jerked back, clutching her fingers closely to make sure they were still there. It was the strangest thing, seeing her hand half-disappeared.

Once Anna calmed, though, she tried again with the same result. Finally, she shifted to the side and poked her head right under Elsa's face, staring up into her eyes. Anna retreated quickly when Elsa passed through her to continue picking flowers.

"You can't see me…" Anna said aloud, and Elsa gave no indication of hearing. Anna simply sat there and watched as Elsa hummed a light melody. She imagined Elsa to have grown up unhappy, but then what was she seeing now? Was this a memory? Was this even real? She remembered the reliquary, and Tobias, and then darkness…

When Elsa was done, she bundled up the flowers and dashed back inside. Elsa acted like any other kid her age, Anna thought, and she couldn't stop from smiling. It reminded Anna of herself a little, and _that _was a strange thought. She rose to her feet and followed, gingerly stepping through the open door and watching Elsa run to her mother and hug her knees. They looked alike, only the older woman had brown hair instead of platinum-blonde, but not even the father was blond. Elsa had his eyes though, the same shape and the same shade of blue; and later in life, his smile, the tiny one at the edge of the lips.

"Elsa, look how dirty your hands are," the woman chided softly, but she still rubbed at Elsa's palm with her own, uncaring of the dirt getting onto her instead. When she noticed her husband laugh, she smiled and shook her head. "Vagn, really, stop encouraging her."

"But Mamma, look what I made!" Elsa brandished the bouquet proudly and her father plucked it out of her hands with a fond smile, tousling her hair and chuckling when she squealed.

"Let her play, Elmira. As for you, Elsa, I'll make sure this goes in a vase," Vagn said. Anna noticed the array of flowers arranged all around the house, no doubt from Elsa's work. "Now go wash your hands and then we'll eat."

It was a happy scene. Elsa picked around her food and Elmira promised her dessert if she finished; Vagn told anecdotes that left Elsa giggling. Something as genuine as this couldn't be faked. Anna's smile grew wider and wider as she saw Elsa so unbelievably joyful, but the more she watched the more confused she became. This went against everything she knew. If this was her family, then those scars–

A swirling vortex of color and sound filled her mind, the entire world spinning so chaotically Anna barely kept on her feet. When the world reformed, Anna at first thought she was in a different place; except everything looked largely the same, only emptied, and her impression had come from the sudden cold. Frost lined the inside of the windows; Anna looked around for the only one who could have caused it. If these really were Elsa's memories, then she had to be here somewhere.

As if on cue, a door opened and Elsa came into the room. Anna had to calm her hammering heart as she took in her appearance. Just a little taller now, perhaps a year or two older, but for whatever reason she wore clothes that looked worn out, edges tattered and frayed and the color washing out.

Just then, a loud shout sounded across the room.

"Elsa! Get back in here right now!" Even Anna jumped, let alone Elsa. Could it be Vagn? He sounded so different, gentle voice now darkened by anger so that it was lower, guttural. Elsa ran over and opened the door at the other end of the room, which Anna recognized as the kitchen.

Anna followed and walked in to find Elsa's parents seated at the kitchen table, but one look at them and a shiver ran down her spine. They were identical to the ones she had seen before, and yet not; the same people, but their faces were hard and cruel and so different Anna barely recognized them as the loving parents from before. Elmira stared down with contempt; Vagn glared with undisguised hate. Anna cried out when she saw Elmira raise a hand and slap Elsa across the face, sending her crumpling to the ground as she held a small hand up to her cheek. It was already starting to bruise an ugly purple.

She rushed over to the fallen girl, absolutely furious to see Elsa trembling. Anna stared up with accusation though Elmira wouldn't see her. _What_ was going on?

"How many times do I have to tell you, Elsa? Do _not_ ever let other people see your powers!" Anna watched in horror as Elsa was ordered to get up, told to go to her room and that she would not be getting dinner that night. As Elsa ran from the kitchen with tears in her eyes, Anna whirled around to her parents. How could they do this? Just because Elsa was _different_?

She wished so badly she could cause physical harm to the couple sitting at the table.

The world spun again, and the mist cleared to reveal a small room with the windows barred. Anna saw a bed in the corner of the bare room, and on top sat Elsa, clutching her knees to herself and crying silently with her head down. She sat down next to the child and tentatively reached forward, to brush her hair, to wipe her tears away; but then Anna remembered she could do none of that. She was useless here. Anna lowered her hand slowly, unknowingly clenching it into a fist.

"Mamma, Pappa…" Elsa curled further into herself, finally releasing small sniffles. She was so small. Anna didn't understand how anyone could bear to mistreat her.

"Please don't cry," Anna whispered.

Just then the door was flung open, and both Anna and Elsa looked up.

Terror flit across Elsa's face and she immediately shrank as though on instinct, pressing her back against the wall as far as possible. "P-Pappa, I'm so sorry–"

"You did it again, didn't you?" Elsa shook her head furiously as Vagn stalked closer, but her denial only made him clench his teeth. "You're going to kill us all! What will we live on with the garden frozen?"

"I didn't mean it!" Elsa said.

Her father reached down and lifted Elsa by the collar of her shirt. Anna knew she couldn't do anything to stop him, but she still tried to tackle the man, tried to take Elsa away, but she fell through him and slammed onto the ground. A moment later, Vagn tossed Elsa like a rag doll so that she collapsed in a heap not far away. Anna got to her feet and looked over to see Vagn tower over her.

"Then I'll have to punish you."

"…No," Anna whispered, eyes widening with horror as the man drew a long whip. Elsa backed away, whimpering with fear, and Anna almost screamed. Why weren't Elsa's powers protecting her? They should have started up by now, Anna had seenit happen before, _so_ _why was this still happening–_

Anna felt an icy hand grip her heart when the whip lashed down.

"Stop it!" Anna screamed.

No one heard. Elsa cried out at a second lash and turned to protect her chest and stomach, but now it was her back being flayed. Anna fell to her knees as she watched, wanting desperately to close her eyes. But she had to bear through this. Anna couldn't just pretend nothing was happening, so she watched helplessly as Elsa was mercilessly beaten by the monster her father had become, as Elsa called out and begged for the pain to stop, promised that she would be good and never use her magic again.

"It's not magic," Vagn spat. "It's a _curse_, and it's made you a _monster_. Do you hear me?" Another lash, even harder than the last one, leaving yet another bloody furrow across Elsa's back. "Say it!"

"I – I'll h-hide – I'll hide my–" Elsa choked.

Part of Anna never wanted Elsa to think of herself that way. Another part of her just wanted the pain to end, so that Elsa wouldn't have to suffer anymore. "Please," Anna whispered.

"You'll hide your _what_?" Vagn asked.

Another whip and Elsa screamed, "I'll hide my curse!" Vagn finally left, throwing one last glare at Elsa and slamming the door shut. It locked behind him.

It hadn't even been a minute. Anna felt _herself _shaking just looking at the wounds, and Elsa looked close to passing out, pale face sweating and eyes half-lidded. Her back was bleeding profusely from numerous welts, and Anna realized she was still too young, too vulnerable. Her powers were still too immature to heal her, and so the scars had remained, a reminder that would never go away.

Suddenly the memory stopped. Not like the last time, but abruptly, the scene playing out in front of her turning to black and white and fracturing before it spiraled into one indistinguishable pulp.

Anna felt the rush of vertigo again, and then the world steadied.

_Wait, what?_

Elsa was smiling happily at her parents as they watched her play in the garden. Their faces didn't have a hint of the violence they held in the past two memories; Anna saw the loving parents again, adoration clear in their eyes, only Elsa looked no younger compared to the last memory. What was going on…? A light breeze threw a bit of dust in her eye, and Anna blinked away a shadow.

And then the world froze, shadows and static flit across Anna's vision, and when she opened her eyes again, the same scene was occurring but very, very differently. A thin layer of frost coated the garden and Elsa was alone with a diminutive snowman, hugging it tightly as though it were a lifeline. Anna stepped closer and kneeled next to Elsa. A pang struck her chest when she noticed how thin Elsa was, too thin, so that her ratty clothing hung uncomfortably over her bony frame. Dark rings marred her eyes.

"What did they do to you?" Anna murmured.

"Happy birthday," Elsa whispered.

Anna froze.

"My only wish is for Mamma and Pappa to love me again," Elsa continued, unaware of Anna trying desperately to give her an embrace that wasn't from cold snow she had created herself. She deserved more than that. "I'll be good from now on, I really will…"

"You're not doing _anything_ wrong," Anna breathed.

Elsa whirled around when the door to her home opened and Elmira stormed out. Anna observed carefully. It was like two different people, the kindly mother she had first seen and the inhuman woman she saw now. Whatever thoughts she had were pushed aside when Elsa cried out, Elmira having caught her arm in a vice-grip.

"This is getting out of hand."

"I-I'm so sorry, I don't know how to stop it–"

"Then I'll stop it for you." Anna saw Elsa tear away and stand protectively over her snowman, but Elmira only slapped her aside and Elsa tumbled facedown into the snow. The snowman must have been Elsa's only comfort. When her mother destroyed it, Elsa scrambled to its remains and wept bitter tears. Blood from her split lip darkened the snow.

"How much longer do I have to watch this?" Anna murmured. It hurt. It hurt more than anything to watch Elsa be treated so horribly and yet be unable to help her.

And then the world paused, spun, colors blending into a single dark hue. Anna closed her eyes and waited for whatever horror she would be forced to witness next.

She heard crackling. Alarmed, Anna's eyes flew open. Her heart leapt in her throat when she saw Elsa being dragged towards a furnace, the fire just as tall as her and roaring in its intensity, white-hot flames spitting sparks; Elsa fought every step of the way, sobbing and screaming as Vagn and Elmira pushed her closer and closer.

"We'll fix you," Vagn spat.

"_Stop it!_"

Anna's scream fell on deaf ears. She could feel the heat as Elsa did, the desiccation and blistering pain that built every step she was forced to take. Before long, the orange glow was close enough to reflect over Elsa's face, casting a flickering light over her pallid visage. Even her tears had dried.

"Please, Mamma, Pappa–"

"It's for your own good," Elmira said.

She took Elsa's hand and forced it forward.

Anna couldn't take it anymore. She closed her eyes and flinched away, but nothing could block out the piercing sound of Elsa's shriek, the horrible smell of burning flesh. She almost threw up. After seconds that felt like an eternity, everything silenced. Anna kept her eyes shut, unwilling to see any more.

_Let me out, I don't want to see this anymore, I want to _go.

"Hush. Hush, little one. You're safe now."

Anna only dared to look when she heard a different voice, rich and smooth like silk and cream. A man knelt next to Elsa, cradling her trembling form, but for the first time, someone else drew her attention. Lying broken on the ground, only a few feet away from Elsa, were her parents. Their eyes were glassy, mouths open in a silent scream as blood poured from wounds pierced all over their body.

"I-I killed them," Elsa whispered, her breath shuddering as she clutched at the man. Anna stilled at her confession, but it was only a knee-jerk reaction. After everything she had seen, she was only glad for Elsa's safety. "I didn't mean to, I was so afraid, and then I was angry, and I couldn't control the curse–"

"They were despicable trash," Markus spat, and Anna knew it was him because she recognized his face from the portraits she had seen even back in Arendelle. His was the face of a warlord, stern features sharply angular, thin lips pursed into a line and cheeks hollowed inwards, eyes burning with strength.

Elsa looked to her parents and then away, shaking even worse. "B-But it was my fault–"

"What you have is a gift." Markus took Elsa by the shoulders and looked her in the eye, frown deepening. "Always remember that, child. You possess not a curse but a gift. Never conceal it. As for _them_?" Markus glanced at Elsa's parents, his lip curling. "They were beneath you. After what they did, no one would blame you."

"What do I do now?" Elsa pleaded. She was desperate for any direction, Anna knew. Anna had seen that exact look before when Elsa was having her nightmare, vacant and haunted.

"…You are not alone."

Before their eyes, Markus lifted a hand and inky darkness wisped around his fingertips. Anna was shocked but Elsa was doubly so, eyes widening and lips parting with awe and relief. "Y-You're like me?"

"I was not born with power, as you were, and I cannot ever compare," Markus said. "But I learned just enough to accomplish small things, enough to guide you. Perhaps that is my calling. Perhaps that is what fate intended for me."

"To guide me?" Elsa asked.

"Come with me. I will protect you. I will teach you," Markus said. He stood and held out his hand, eyes softening. "What you have is a gift, Elsa. You should be glad to have the fortune of it, just as I am glad to have come across a gift such as you."

Anna watched with bated breath as Elsa spared a glance at her parents, and then closed her eyes. Elsa took a deep breath, and when she opened her eyes again, her decision was made.

Elsa took his hand.

* * *

**a/n: **I feel like an extended note is necessary for this chapter, because of the reliquary concept. Hopefully I explained it well enough, although there will be more on the actual process in the next chapter (along with the conclusion to the flashbacks in the next chapter, ending with the explanation of the Mirror). So yes, some people did guess it - Elsa froze her heart, and carved it out, thereby strengthening her powers to a level she can't even control but also losing her emotional capacity in the process. And there you have it, actual, _physical _proof of her self-rejection and self-loathing. More on this in the next chapter. I chose to have her heart in the form of a snowflake, orbed in ice, which is more metaphorical than a literal heart because 1) that's sort of gross, and 2) love will thaw. Also, a bit of a hint: Note the similarities between Elsa's heart and the Mirror. Markus will _not _tell you everything.


	11. There Lay An Invincible Summer

**Chapter 11: There Lay An Invincible Summer**

Her seal was gone.

Even if she hadn't been able to feel the seal unraveling before, Elsa could see it now from where she stood on the staircase, her ice melted away to reveal the chamber entrance; but somehow _seeing _it was worse. Now she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Anna had gone through. She hardly dared to continue for fear of what she might see.

And then she heard a scream.

Not Anna.

Tobias stumbled out of the chamber, flailing and screaming as he clutched his blackened, burned hand, and Elsa knew he had tried to take her reliquary by force. A fool, to covet her gift. Even separated, her heart knew its master. No one but her could approach, not while it was safeguarded by impenetrable ice. When Tobias caught sight of Elsa, he nearly tumbled down the steps in his haste to reach her.

"Elsa!" Tobias fell to his knees, face twisting with horror as frostbite crept up his arm. "How do I stop this? Tell me how to stop this! Help me! I don't want to die; I don't want to die, please–"

She had no time for this. Elsa wanted nothing more than to leave Tobias to his fate; but whatever happened, he was still one of Markus's children. And _saving _him was punishment in and of itself.

With a flick of her hand, a thin sheet of ice sliced through his arm at the elbow.

Tobias opened his mouth in a silent scream, emitting no sound despite the agony clear in his muddled eyes. His remaining hand flew to the stump left behind, frozen over without a drop of blood, and his entire body trembled as he inched towards the severed limb. Then the pain became too much. His eyes rolled backwards and he collapsed.

Elsa didn't spare him another glance.

_Anna._

She sped up the rest of the steps and burst into the chamber.

Anna was lying on the ground, either unconscious or – Elsa couldn't bear to think of the alternative. She had to be alive. She _had _to be. Elsa rushed over and dropped down without a second thought. But now that she was here, Elsa realized she had no idea what to do. Her hand reached out, trembling with hesitation that she only ever felt around Anna, before she stilled. What if she hurt Anna even more?

Before her eyes, a streak of white grew in Anna's hair.

"No," Elsa whispered. "No, Anna. You can't just leave me like this. I only just – I only just started feeling again, please, _please_…"

Loneliness.

Elsa realized now that loneliness was the bitterness choking her every waking thought, like a suffocating vine that snaked around her mind. She had thought herself superior, but she was only alone. She had thought herself numb, but she was only in despair. Agony lurked under her facade, and it cut so deeply every color had bled out of life. Hers was a prolonged half-life in washed-out black and white.

Until she found Anna, and her world exploded into color.

"I need you. I need you, Anna. Wake up."

Nothing except for a violent shudder that wracked through Anna's body, and Elsa let go of her doubt. Elsa drew Anna into her arms and cradled her head, but she felt nothing like the Anna that Elsa knew. Anna was warm, not this icy creature with cold skin and whitened hair. Anna was bright, not this paling, bloodless imitation. She used to be so full of life…

"You can't die," Elsa said. She pulled Anna closer, and now she could hear the pulse of her reliquary beating in time with Anna's heart. A tiny shard had separated and lodged itself into the warmth it craved. "I won't let you die."

Elsa placed a hand over Anna's heart and tried to draw out the sliver of ice, but the moment it responded to her call – Anna curled inwards, face screwed-up with indescribable agony, and Elsa stopped immediately. She couldn't control it. Not since making her reliquary had she been capable of fine control, and if she tried to force it she might kill Anna right then and there. She was useless.

"What can I do…?"

Elsa held Anna tighter when frost began to coat her skin, when her fingertips began to turn blue. She was fading fast. If this went on…Anna would…

"Anna!"

Was this loss she felt, the tingling at her fingertips, the prickling at her eyes? She could hardly bear to look at Anna, cold and lifeless, but she couldn't draw her eyes away either.

"You can't die," Elsa whispered. "You can't die without my permission. Wake up! Wake up, right now!"

For the first time in thirteen years, Elsa let herself cry and pray for a miracle.

Behind her, the Mirror glowed.

* * *

"Welcome to your new home."

For all of her clumsiness and distinct lack of regality, Anna was still royalty and had lived in Arendelle Castle all her life. Not to mention she had already seen the Southern Isles Castle, the one perfected by Elsa; so when Markus showed off the original, Anna glanced over the common stone and mortar and then looked back to the child trailing behind Markus.

She could see why Elsa was impressed. For a commoner from the outskirts of the kingdom, seeing the castle up close must have been like something out of a dream, and to one day actually live in it? Not even a dream but a fantasy. Elsa followed with her lips slightly parted, eyes wide open in childish awe, and it was hard to imagine the cold queen she would one day become.

"R-Really?" Elsa asked. "But I'm nothing special, Your Majesty–"

"Never say that about yourself again, Elsa," Markus said sternly, and he fixed her with a heavy gaze. When she nodded, looking absolutely terrified, his eyes softened. "And you do not need to address me with any title. You may call me by name."

"I can't do that! It's too rude!" Elsa exclaimed.

"From today on, you are royalty as you were always meant to be." Before Elsa could protest more, Markus showed her inside and Elsa was silenced by what was, to her, unimaginable wealth.

Anna followed as Markus led Elsa to where she knew was the throne room. Maybe she was around the paranoid Elsa too much, but she wondered about this kind, fatherly figure. Markus just so happened to conveniently be around to pick up the pieces when Elsa broke? In the future Elsa had always spoken of Markus with reverence, but in spite of that – perhaps _because _of that – Anna watched the happenings unfold with a grain of salt.

When the grand doors opened, they were greeted by the thirteen princes standing at attention. Elsa shied away, unused to human interaction and taught to fear harming them, but Markus straightened her back and walked with her to the front of the hall. Thirteen pairs of curious eyes watched Elsa as she was allowed to stand above the dais and directly to Markus's right, an honor even they were denied.

"Let me introduce you to Elsa. From today on, she will be Princess Elsa of the Southern Isles," Markus said. Ignoring the hushed muttering that his announcement provoked, he continued, "And you are to make Elsa feel welcomed and at home. Introduce yourselves."

One by one, Anna watched as they made their introductions. Gustaf was already in his twenties and looked bemused by the whole thing, but some of the others were not as kind. Tobias looked as though he had swallowed something sour, and Anna felt a surge of vindictive pleasure to see Markus reprimand him. Most were generally uninterested, though Anna was amused to see a young Edmund introduce himself with such vigor that Elsa nodded almost fearfully. Hans was as composed as ever.

And Saul, true to his word, was instantly enamored. Anna watched with a growing scowl as Saul stammered through his greeting, and she was even more displeased to see Elsa grin at the boy. She had never smiled at _her _like that before. Saul smiled back, seemingly relieved, and retreated with a suave bow that looked ten times more practiced.

"She just feels bad for you, lover-boy," Anna muttered.

The memory stopped midway through Markus ordering whoever to show Elsa around, and Anna waited patiently for whatever the reliquary decided to show her next. As the vision steadied, Anna wondered if she was getting too comfortable with the whole ordeal.

Not much time had passed. Elsa looked to be the same age and was seated at the back of a classroom, looking unbelievably bored by the lecture from a bespectacled old man. Anna noticed how she sat with a rigidly straight back now, and Elsa didn't rest her chin on her hand like other children might, instead staring straight ahead with her chin held high. She was already being trained to be royal. Still, Anna could see her eyes glazed over, and she grinned when Elsa tried to stay awake by pinching her thigh.

When a small break was announced, the others of Elsa's age group – from Rafael, the seventh prince, down to Edmund and Hans – shuffled out for some desperately needed air. Elsa stayed behind and shook her head twice before perusing a thick textbook, one hand rubbing at her temple all the while. A few minutes later, Elsa pushed the book away. After looking around almost guiltily, Elsa moved her hands together in a slow revolution, wisps of blue swirling around her fingertips.

And then she created.

Right there on the table a miniature palace came to life, from the foundations pushing upwards into tall spires to even details like individual windows and doors and markings. It was somehow more impressive to see a child crafting something so intricate, but then Anna realized she had never seen Elsa do anything like this when she was older and she wondered if, as Elsa had implied, she could no longer.

Anna was so engrossed she didn't notice someone coming back in. Apparently neither did Elsa, because she jumped when the voice said, "That's beautiful, you know."

Immediately, Elsa stopped and the castle's development halted. Whirling around and frightened eyes no doubt expecting admonishment, Elsa was instead met by Saul looking on with effusive admiration.

"I-I'm sorry?"

"You're an architect," Saul said with wonder, walking closer and tracing the ice. Elsa smiled widely at the unexpected praise before schooling her features to neutrality, but her half-practiced mask shattered when Saul added, "All of this is perfect down to the last detail. How do you manage it?"

"I just visualize," Elsa blurted out. "I mean, I never start out with anything fixed, I have an idea and then–"

"You let it design itself," Saul finished, wide smile matching the one on Elsa's face exactly. "Inspiration and then uninterrupted flow."

"Yes! It's all about maths and geometry, but you can't let rules constrain you!" Elsa practically glowed with excitement. Even her voice was rising into a squeak, and when Elsa realized she covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, I'm sorry. I got carried away."

"No, I understand! I also design. Smaller things, of course, nothing of your scale and certainly having barely a fraction of your beauty," Saul said. Anna scowled. Even young, Saul was dramatic.

But to Anna's eternal shock, Elsa looked away with a blush. "I've seen some of your work, I really admire it. Especially your ships! You actually use your hands, but I feel like I'm cheating."

Saul reached out and tapped the ice palace with a nail, letting the melodic ring sound out before he spoke again. "It's not cheating to have a gift. What's talent if not meant to be used? I wish I were capable of half of what you can do."

"What I wouldn't give for Edmund's talent right now," Elsa said, smiling crookedly as she looked towards the textbooks. "I'm so far behind all of you…"

"Eidetic memory? Being able to memorize with a glance _is _useful," Saul admitted. "I do believe he's gone through the entire library already."

Anna raised an eyebrow. That sounded nothing like the Edmund she knew. Maybe he had hit his head some time in between?

"Though we all have our talents – Rafael with music, Alek with sword. So you see, your gift is not so different after all," Saul said. He slid the textbook back around. "Now then, I shall endeavor to help you conquer this. Maths is preferable, but history is not so dull if fleshed in with more than dry fact…"

Anna made a face when the memory spiraled into grey. She didn't dislike Saul anymore, but at this rate she might slip back into thinking he was a prick. When she realized where her thoughts were going, she groaned aloud at the continued reminder of her weird…thing…with Elsa.

A few more sparse memories, each one lasting less than a minute as time fast-forwarded, but it seemed like Saul was one of the few constants in Elsa's life. As children, Saul taught Elsa the correct way to use the dizzying number of utensils at a royal table. Slightly older, Saul mapped out blueprints and Elsa pulled them from the page into reality, the both of them sharing in breathless excitement. And as much as it pained Anna to see a teenaged Elsa being taught how to _dance _by none other than Saul, the both of them smiling nervously and laughing just a bit too much when Elsa finally, _finally_ slipped up just once…

Anna was still glad to see Elsa happy.

And then the next memory started.

"Release…"

"Let free…"

"There are no limits," Elsa finished.

Elsa stood with Markus in the courtyard, the man standing behind as Elsa took deep breaths and stared down a scarecrow. Much contrary to her mantra, she extended her hands tentatively and the arc of snow that struck her target barely even bent it back. Anna noticed Markus frowning so heavily that the lines on his forehead creased.

"You are not allowing yourself to be free," Markus chided. "Do not fear your powers. Embrace them. Within you is immeasurable power, Elsa, if you would only let it go."

"I don't want to hurt anyone," Elsa said.

"Then others will inevitably hurt you. The world is hateful and cruel and will destroy whatever they cannot understand. You are not inexperienced in this."

Anna saw red at that jibe. How could anyone bring up Elsa's abuse just to prove a point? And what kind of point was he even trying to make? Just because some people might be like that didn't mean the whole world was out for blood–

But it worked. Elsa turned back to the scarecrow, eyes hardened with steel, and this time when she struck, the wave of white that burst from her fingertips snapped the wooden stand apart like a twig and left scattered straw strewn all around like lifeblood. But not even that stopped the avalanche. It surged forward, building as it moved across the courtyard, and then finally struck the castle wall with a thunderous thud. When the snow receded, Anna saw a large crater left behind.

"Now you see what you can do, and this is only the beginning," Markus said, smiling with self-satisfaction. Elsa breathed deeply and stared at her handiwork, then back to her hands, as though in disbelief that she could really summon up that much force.

Years passed in a blur of memory, each one only the seconds long.

All Anna caught from them was the growth of Elsa's power, from that first memory onward to greater and greater heights, more and more uncharted regions of her potential explored. Under Markus, Elsa learned how to channel all of her power. Anna watched Elsa learn to create snowstorms, summon gargantuan avalanches and acres of razor-sharp penitentes, until one day…

A much more regal Elsa stood before her now, as tall as Anna and twice as graceful. She stood alone in the center of the courtyard, eyes closed as she took carefully measured breaths. A sharp whistle was the only warning before crossbow bolts came from all directions. Anna knew she couldn't be hurt but instinctively raised her arms as if to block; Elsa snapped her eyes open and waved her hand in an arc, releasing a swell of ice ribboning around her to intercept. She stomped her foot on the ground and the arrows ejected in the opposite direction, back to the mounted contraptions, each one easily punching through the crossbow.

"Swords!"

At Markus's order, a troop of fifty armed guards attacked. Anna watched in awe as the teenaged Elsa drew a blade of ice and matched them blow for blow, weaving through their ranks effortlessly and slashing and cutting and parrying and riposting. She looked like she was dancing instead of fighting; Elsa could fight better than most men could _breathe_. She moved quickly, inhumanly so, all sharp pivots and turns as a gale from her offhand pushed her along at speeds no one could match, as the icy ground shifted to coordinate with her every move.

Fifty trained soldiers against a single girl.

It was horribly one-sided.

A mountain of ice rose beneath her feet, and it elevated Elsa above those who still stood before her. A strange thought flit across Anna's mind at the sight. With the light of the sun behind her, standing tall atop a glacial peak and with her eyes closed in the picture of serenity, Elsa looked like a goddess.

It didn't last. Such inhumane rage twisted Elsa's features in the next second that the goddess was replaced by a demon, and her opened eyes reflected some primal frenzy like a cornered animal. Out of clear blue skies came first drifting snow and then a howling blizzard. Just like that time when she was still young, Anna thought sadly. Markus had taught her to hate, and he had taught her well. Electricity crackled in her hands, a bolt of white-blue energy that lanced out to sear through the earth. Torrents of lightning and ice spiraled into a maelstrom, and no one could withstand its fury.

Elsa lowered herself to the ground and crushed the sword in her hand once all of her attackers were incapacitated. From the balcony where he had watched, Markus clapped slowly. Elsa looked up with glowing pride, the smile on her face so wide it reached from ear to ear.

"But you did not kill any of them," Markus said.

_That _was a surprise, but a welcome one. Anna took a closer look at the soldiers, and to her relief, all of them were still alive. Some unconscious and the others groaning from their new sets of bruises, but alive. Elsa still had that restraint, at least.

"I didn't think it necessary," Elsa said. Anna marveled at the change in her tone. She sounded so _confident _now, in the same quiet way of the present-day Elsa. Gone was the meek commoner girl.

"Remember that they are lesser than you, and if they should fall, that is only a result of their ineptitude," Markus said. "Have you forgotten already what I taught you?"

Elsa shook her head. "Release, let free. There are no limits."

Once more, the world shifted.

This time, Anna was greeted by the tower and thought for a second that she was back in the present. But no, Elsa and Markus were there too. Elsa was just a little bit older again, taller than Anna now and composed to faultlessness. She stood at attention with her hands folded together as Markus trudged with great effort to the mirror.

And it was obvious to her that Markus was growing old. His short hair was gray, and ever-deepening lines creased on his forehead. His eyes were starting to sink in, rimmed with red and resembling hollow caverns. Though he still possessed an unmistakable air of power, age was taking its toll.

"This, Elsa, is the project I need you to complete for me," Markus said. He spoke with a dry tone far from the smooth, sinuous charisma he used to possess. "It is an old legend, the Mirror."

"I hear and I obey," Elsa said.

"Legend says that a drop of moonlight once fell from the sky and froze the small pond that received it. That would become the Mirror, something powerful, something wondrous. It reflected…the heart's desire," Markus said, voice enraptured as though the very idea revived him. "This is that very Mirror." Markus lovingly ran a hand over the rim before doubling over into hacking coughs wet with blood.

"Markus–"

Proud, Markus was. He held up a hand and Elsa silenced. "But as you can see, the Mirror is no longer intact. But not destroyed, only fragmented. Its shards reside all over the world, and even smaller splinters are embedded in the human heart. Once, I sought to complete it, but I grow too old, Elsa. I leave the task to you. Watch! It resonates with your power."

At Markus's beckoning, Elsa extended a hand forward. Light shined from the markings on the Mirror's rim and the frame began rotating slowly, starting and stopping with a series of heavy clicks. An image appeared before them of the Mirror completed, kaleidoscope snowflake spinning at its core and blue fire running across its veins. When Elsa lowered her hand the Mirror dimmed and faltered, and the image dissipated. She looked to Markus in question, but he provided no answer to her query.

"I will die soon, so I leave it to you to complete the Mirror."

"But you said there was a way for me to save you!" Elsa said.

Markus nodded, smiling softly. "Even in its state, the Mirror can preserve my life if combined with your powers. If you were to keep my body frozen, when the Mirror has accumulated enough strength you could revive me. But…"

"I can do it, I can save you," Elsa said quickly.

"As you are, you are not strong enough to do this," Markus said. Hesitantly, turning slightly to the side and looking away from Elsa, he murmured, "Though there is another way…"

Elsa stepped forward. "Whatever it is, I'll do it."

Markus smiled sadly. "No, child, it is too large a sacrifice for me to ask."

"Nothing is too large a sacrifice," Elsa said.

Anna had an inkling of what Markus was talking about. Tobias had mentioned it, that the reliquary was being used to keep him alive. Anna clenched her fists as she realized what a cruel game this man was playing, making a show of being reluctant when he was playing Elsa in the worst way possible. Why else would he bring it up in the first place?

"If you were to make a reliquary, you would be powerful enough. Like a lens focusing light, it would give the Mirror power to sustain me." Markus shook his head. "But it is too much to ask. You know what it means to create a reliquary."

"Don't fall for it," Anna muttered. She stood in between them and tried to grab Elsa by the shoulders, but her hands passed through. "Don't fall for it! He's trying to trick you–"

"I'll do it," Elsa said immediately.

"Child–"

"Nothing is as important as your life," Elsa interrupted, and Markus, Anna was furious to see, stared with such genuine sorrow that it made her sick. "I see no drawback to a reliquary. If it can save you, then I'll do it."

Markus shook his head. "There is much you do not know, Elsa."

"I do know. It's going to suppress my emotions." Elsa closed her eyes. When next she spoke, her voice was weak, vulnerable. "I need it. I need to forget the memories, Markus, I keep remembering them _still_. Please. I need this to be free."

And it was then that Anna finally understood why Elsa did it. She wanted to repress the memories of her parents, of her abuse, of being weak, as if pushing them away she could pretend none of it ever happened. From that desire would be born the Elsa she knew, the one who isolated herself so far she separated herself from humanity.

"It's not worth it," Anna whispered, reaching with a shaking hand to hover over Elsa's cheek. "Elsa, I'm begging you. Don't do this to yourself, you're going to regret it–!"

Markus nodded, and with an uttered incantation, a dark knife appeared in his hand. He handed it to Elsa and looked away with a heavy sigh, as though lamenting.

Elsa took the knife and placed it over her heart. Anna was transfixed with horror, yearning to look away but transfixed, and she muttered under breath, over and over, "No, Elsa. No, no, no…"

"Thank you," Elsa said.

"_Stop it!_"

Elsa plunged the knife in.

* * *

She couldn't control it. To preserve Markus, her reliquary also claimed the entire Southern Isles in shared stasis, and the eternal winter raged on.

But she had to _pretend_ that she had control, _pretend_ that all was by her will.

An imperious figure, staring down with all the authority of the divine.

"From today on, I am Queen Elsa."

But her eyes held nothing, only a vast, wintry tempest, and to be divine was to be alone.

* * *

Anna awoke with a scream.

"Anna!"

Through the haze, Anna vaguely registered that someone was shaking her. Slowly, her eyes focused. Anna saw Elsa at her side and holding her close, face terrified. Queen Elsa. Not the frightened child or the desperate teenager, but Elsa the Snow Queen was actually crying as she held her.

"…Elsa?"

Elsa smiled, something in between a sob and a laugh escaping her lips as she brought Anna closer, hugging her tightly as though afraid she would suddenly disappear. "You're here. You're still here."

Anna hugged back, burrowing her face in Elsa's shoulder and breathing in the scent of ice. But there were words she had to say. Drawing on the last of her strength, Anna drew back.

"Why?" Anna asked quietly. Elsa stilled, and now Anna could see she truly no longer needed to breathe. She was as unmoving as stone, petrified and static. "Why would you do that to yourself, Elsa?"

"…You saw."

"Everything."

Anna laid a hand over her heart, and Elsa followed with her eyes. Little more needed to be explained between them. Anna realized that she could feel everything Elsa was feeling: the desperation for validation, the insecurity that had pushed her to the sacrifice of her heart; the need for affirmation, the fear that her choice had been wrong after all. It was a presence in the back of her mind. Or in the recesses of her heart. That would probably be more accurate.

"I needed to be free," Elsa murmured. "I needed to forget. And it worked, Anna. I made the reliquary and suddenly the world was clearer, I could temper my thoughts and control my emotions–"

"It's not control to shut your emotions out," Anna said. "You're just lying to yourself."

"What if I don't want to feel?" Elsa asked, but the turbulence of her gaze betrayed her. Just outside, the snowstorm grew stronger and stronger. "Being human means feeling pain. I don't want to be that weak child anymore. If that's the alternative, I'd rather be heartless."

"But you aren't happy."

Elsa said nothing, but Anna refused to let her avoid this. She kept eye-contact and remained silent, waiting for Elsa to answer. At length, Elsa shook her head. "It's too late. It's too late, Anna! What's done is done, I knew when I made my choice. I'll never be able to reverse it."

"Then why did you do it? Why wouldn't you give yourself a way out?" Anna asked. "There were other ways, Elsa. You could have been happy. You didn't have to–"

"If I had met you sooner," Elsa said. When her lips curled into a tiny, wry smile, Anna felt her heart bleed open. "Maybe if I had you before, then I wouldn't have had to resort to this."

"…But I'm here for you now," Anna said, and Elsa closed her eyes. "You're not broken, Elsa, you're _not_. You said it yourself. You can feel again."

"You heard that?"

"Am I wrong?"

Slowly, Elsa shook her head again. Outside, the storm raged on, wind sweeping ice and snow into an unstoppable flurry. Elsa was afraid. Was she really so scared of feeling again? No. She could see it in her eyes, feel it in her heart. Elsa wanted to, more than anything. So then, what…?

"Now that you know what I am, what I've done…" Elsa began, voice trembling, and Anna knew what she was going to ask before she even finished. "Are you afraid of me?"

Anna kept her eyes fixed unblinkingly on Elsa. Only inches away, they stared at each other in silence, and it felt like they were the last two people in the world. They were the only two people to matter.

"No," Anna said. "I'm not afraid."

With a roar like thunder, the storm calmed at last.

* * *

**a/n:** In response to concerns: No worries (or maybe it is something to worry about), Tempest is not approaching the end. I made a huge post about it on tumblr, feel free to peruse especially because there's some cool fanart!


	12. Puppeteer Behind Shadows

**Chapter 12: Puppeteer Behind Shadows**

Anna was safe and that was what mattered, but Tobias…

"Come to see me rot?"

Elsa peered through the bars of his jail cell to see Tobias sitting chained on the ground, his remaining hand lying tauntingly lax over his bent knee. She noted that his hand had been completely braced in a steel glove so that it was no longer even visible. Just a precaution in case he did learn magic through his forays into the deeper, darker parts of the libraries, but with Elsa standing vigil he could hardly escape. Even without her, though…

"I doubt that is necessary," Elsa said, nodding at his restraints. "You do not strike me as having any magical ability, or back at the tower you might have saved yourself without my assistance. If I'm not wrong, you spread the rumors yourself."

"Astute." Tobias rattled the brace, chuckling quietly as the chains rankled. "Reputation can get you far, but I'm sure you know all about that, Elsa."

"…What are you trying to say? Elsa asked. "Speak in riddles again, and I promise you the pain of your severed hand a thousandfold."

Tobias looked up, eyes alight with mad frenzy, and he shot forward so suddenly even Elsa nearly flinched back. His gloved hand slammed against the bars. The shackles no doubt strained painfully against his ankles, but he ignored them in favor of snarling across the gap.

"Brave words, from someone who can't even control her own reliquary."

Frost snaked across the ground and up the stone beams, but Tobias only looked ever more delighted by her reaction. Elsa reined in her emotions and the ice halted, but the damage was done. It was as good as confirmation and they both knew it, especially when her control was too tenuous to even recall the ice. Tobias retreated and slumped against the wall.

"How did you know?" Elsa asked. "And of the reliquary in the first place. Markus created the concept, and he would never have left record of it anywhere."

"You aren't the only one he graced with the knowledge of it," Tobias laughed.

"…You?" As far as Elsa knew, Markus never favored Tobias. But she could not imagine him bequeathing the knowledge to any of his sons; Markus had _warned _her against most of them. Elsa had been his heir, and she alone was taught by Markus personally. So then, who…?

"Like you said, I possess no magical talent." Tobias sobered, eyes shadowed and haunted, his laughter vanishing into thin air as his lips pursed into a thin line. "Why are you here, Elsa?"

"Curiosity." Elsa bent down on one knee and stared him in the eye, watching as he arched an eyebrow in surprise. "I want to know why it is that you did what you did. Not for your sake specifically, but…I don't understand. I have done all that I can for this kingdom."

"You cannot be serious."

Elsa tilted her head in question.

Tobias snorted and put his head back, quietly chortling to himself with eyes closed. "Father mutilated you beyond recognition if you cannot understand. I'm almost sorry for you, Elsa, I truly am."

"What did I say about riddles?"

"Of course, I remember," Tobias said, holding up his hand in jest. "There isn't always a reason, Elsa. It is base human nature to seek power, and if you were expecting some grand ideal from me, I have nothing to offer you. There is no great revelation. I am a human being, so I am greedy and deceitful. Expect the same betrayal from everyone around you."

"I don't believe that," Elsa said. As she spoke the image of a single person came to mind. Not Markus, as she might have expected, and perhaps it would have been, any time before this. But now…she thought of another. There was just one person she trusted.

"Your pet?" Tobias laughed again, body vibrating so that the chains rattled in time with his wheezy chuckle. "Ahh. You did choose well; I should tell you how she tried to stop me even while she was dying. Her name is Anna, correct? How is she now?"

"Better than you."

Tobias nodded. "What she deserves, then. Interesting girl, but I'll warn you all the same, Elsa. It's always the one you trust. Let your guard down, and the betrayal will only be deeper."

"Are you speaking from experience?" Elsa asked.

Tobias cracked an eye open, staring at her from under the cover of his hair and blinking slowly. "Astute as always. You won, Elsa, and despite everything, you did save me," Tobias murmured. Bracing his elbow against the wall and pushing off the ground, his glove scraping with a dull metallic screech against stone, he sat up. "I feel that I owe you this information at least. I did not work alone. There is another."

"And this person knew about the reliquary?" Elsa narrowed her eyes. "Who is it?"'

Tobias opened his mouth to answer.

He never had the chance to finish.

Because the moment he started to speak, he released only a glut of blood when his throat caved in.

For a moment, even Elsa was too stunned to move. By the time her senses returned and she thought to scan the cell for whatever might have caused it, to stop whatever it might be, she saw nothing. It was as though an invisible hand had simply crushed his throat; Tobias released a single choked scream before even that silenced, windpipe ruined. Dark runes branched across his face as he writhed helplessly, spidering over his sallow skin like veins of blackened blood.

"H-H–" Tobias keeled over, clutching his chest and convulsing. Even his raspy whisper left him, but with great force of will he raised his head.

Elsa could see the pleading in his eyes, but she could do nothing. She had no way of stopping this. Elsa stood and stepped away as Tobias began bleeding from his eyes, his nose, his ears, as his mouth stretched open in a soundless scream.

She watched as Tobias died, bringing the secret to his grave.

* * *

A messy business.

Elsa only managed to retreat to her room hours later, after handling the aftermath and arranging for a quiet burial. She mulled over the mysterious death but could find no concrete answers, only theory upon theory generated by a restless mind. All other thoughts left her mind, however, when she saw Anna still waiting for her. Maybe the shock of everything that had happened was too much for her to rest. It certainly was for Elsa.

"Is something wrong?" Anna asked suddenly.

Elsa was so surprised she almost forgot to close the door behind her, but then she realized Anna would, of course, be able to tell. In Anna's heart lay a shard of her reliquary, and it had allowed her to see the memories she buried with it. It was not so surprising that Anna would be attuned to her thoughts now.

Strangely, the idea was not displeasing.

"It's nothing," Elsa said, her response entirely on reflex.

"…Okayyy." Anna blinked, frowning down into the cup of hot tea she cupped in her hands. After a moment, she shrugged. She pat the spot next to her in bed, and Elsa finally noticed that Anna had invited herself into _her _bed. "So are we going to talk about what happened at all?"

Elsa pulled up a chair and sat at the bedside instead, barely holding in her smile when Anna pouted. "I think that would be best. As I'm sure you know…"

"I have a piece of your heart," Anna finished. She held up a single strand of white hair that remained, entirely bleached from root to tip. "Is this normal?"

"I don't know," Elsa admitted. "Nothing like this has happened before."

"Does it look bad?"

"No."

"You answered too quickly! That means you didn't even think about it–"

"And if I had thought about it, you would have said I hesitated," Elsa said. When Anna grumbled under her breath, Elsa smiled. "You look beautiful."

Anna stilled, and for a moment Elsa wondered if she had been too direct; but then she saw Anna redden and burrow her face into her tea, guzzling it down with gusto, and she became even more confused. Truthfully, many of Anna's quirks confused her. Anna resurfaced, looking just a bit calmer.

"You look beautifuller!" Anna said, but then she gaped and added, "Not fuller, I don't mean you look _fuller_, but more, more beautiful."

Elsa tried her absolute hardest to hide her chuckle, even going so far as hide behind her hand and pretend it was a cough. It was such a _banal _sort of excuse she immediately regretted it, but Anna brightened all the same and giggled along. Elsa listened to the sound and thought maybe being able to laugh wasn't such a bad thing, if Anna enjoyed it.

"Your laugh is cute," Anna blurted out.

"…I'm sorry?"

Elsa watched as Anna gaped, dove into her mug, and took another overly-large gulp of tea before resurfacing. The tips of her ears glowed bright red. She was rather tempted to reach out and touch the warmth. "Can we talk about something besides how socially awkward I am?" Anna asked. "Please?"

They made quite a pair, Elsa thought. One of them socially awkward, and the other emotionally impaired.

She must have voiced the thought without realizing it. Anna flushed _again_ – Elsa wondered about that strange tendency – and all but shrieked, "A-A pair? What do you mean by a pair?"

"We are two people," Elsa said slowly.

"Oh. Right." Anna cleared her throat, looking to and fro and anywhere but Elsa. Barely a moment after, she paused and burst out, "Hey! Were you just being _sarcastic_? I didn't know you could even do that!"

"And I didn't know I could smile half as much anymore," Elsa said, feeling her lips once again pull upwards involuntarily. "All of the emotions I thought muted have been returning."

_Because of you._

"That's a good thing," Anna said.

Was it? She had missed this, being able to feel, without realizing just how much. How could she appreciate what she had repressed? It was a strange, ironic thing. She had discarded feeling, and by doing so lost the ability to even regret it. But now that it returned, just a little…

It was relief and agony all at once. She could see she was so much less now than what she was, less than whole, like a painter gone blind or a composer gone deaf, a storm without thunder. She could remember what a life with emotion had been like, but the emotion she could touch was only a memory. Would it be better to be completely empty than have just this faint reminder of what she lacked?

Easy enough to make her decision.

"…It's a good thing," Elsa admitted.

Anna smiled widely, and Elsa knew she made the right choice.

* * *

A small part of her had been afraid Elsa would say otherwise, but hearing her agree…

Well, Anna was happy to say the least.

"So!" Anna leaned back against a pillow and asked, "Did you do something to save me? I remember feeling really, really cold, and I was actually starting to freeze…"

Elsa shook her head. "I don't have the control to remove the shard. I suspect the Mirror might have played a role, but I'm not certain. The process just…reversed."

"Do you know why the Mirror, uhh, _resonates _with you?" Anna asked. When Elsa replied in the negative, Anna scowled and mumbled, "Well, that guy basically told you nothing."

"The Mirror may be beyond even Markus to fully comprehend, but if he knew why, I'm sure he had reason to withhold the information from me."

Elsa stated it so factually, like even the possibility of anything otherwise was unimaginable; Anna might have believed her if she hadn't seen the memories for herself. There was something off about Markus, Anna was sure of it, but questioning his motives now wouldn't help anything. All it would accomplish was push Elsa away.

"If you say so," Anna said. Before Elsa could comment on the thinly veiled skepticism, she added, "So I was thinking, I'm not going to have powers or anything right? Not going to lie, that would be sort of maybe fantastic, but then I think of Tobias and...? Ick, I'm not like that."

"It's unlikely. What Tobias wanted to accomplish was very different," Elsa said, and Anna exhaled a long breath. "He was trying to wrest control of my reliquary from me, but it was not unprotected. You saw? Unthawing ice surrounds it, forever. But as for you…when you touched it…"

"A piece of it actually went with me." Anna blinked. "Huh. I guess you just like me more then."

Elsa smiled and was just about to respond when a loud knock on the door interrupted. Before either of them could answer, Alek came bursting through the door, looking nigh-murderous and followed by an apologetic Saul. When Alek caught sight of Elsa, he stalked over with such obvious violent intent that Anna instinctively shrank back.

"You're making a scene," Elsa said, tone frigidly imperious once more as she rose to her feet. Despite the height difference, she tilted her chin upwards and stared down at Alek while he glowered. Anna was once again struck by the difference between the Elsa she knew and the Elsa everyone else saw.

Now that she realized just why her cold mask looked so natural, Anna felt a throb at her heart.

"My apologies–" Saul began, but Alek cut him off with a snarled, "Why is Tobias dead?"

"Tobias is dead?" Anna asked.

Alek looked over and finally seemed to notice her, eyes flaring wide and jaw tensing so strongly Anna could see muscles straining. And then she remembered the rumors, what Alek thought was going on–

"Whoa! This is not what it looks like!" Anna said, flinging the covers away and clambering to her feet. "Look, no perverse whims and whatnot. Calm down."

Elsa frowned, seemingly confused, but that was probably for the best considering what nearly happened with Andersen. Anna quickly nestled between Elsa and Alek, pushing them both away from each other. Both of them were obviously too strong for her to move, but they acquiesced. Feeling emboldened, Anna put on her best stern face and fixed them both with what she thought was a deadly glare.

"Are you two ready to calm down and talk this out?" Anna asked. Elsa tilted her head questioningly but nodded, slowly, and Anna turned to Alek. Face souring, he nodded too. Behind them all, Saul watched with obvious disbelief, his eyes fixed on Elsa.

"How did you…?" Saul cleared his throat. "Well, I apologize again. I told Alek to wait before barging in here, but when the news came out…"

"I want an explanation," Alek growled.

"I saw Tobias a few hours ago, and he was still a smug prick," Anna said. Although, come to think of it, she really had no idea what happened to him. "Are you sure he's dead?"

"I was there," Elsa answered. Anna quite nearly facepalmed at the blatant disinterest in her tone, like they were discussing the weather and not a death. She couldn't even blame Alek for bristling.

"I care nothing for Tobias, but he was still my brother. First Alvard, and now Tobias? How many of us do you plan on killing?" Alek moved to step forward again, looking ready to shove Anna out of the way if it meant getting at Elsa, but Saul grabbed him and held him back.

"I didn't kill him."

Alek barked out a laugh. "And you expect me to believe you?"

"Look, give her a chance to talk," Anna chided. When Alek fell silent with a huff, she turned to Elsa pleadingly. "And can you please just…be a little nicer about this whole thing?"

Elsa remained silent, and for a moment Anna thought Elsa would refuse. She could understand why. Yielding to the requests of a prisoner of war probably wasn't going to reflect very well on her authority, and Anna doubted Elsa was used to doing things any way but her own. But after a long, tense silence, Elsa closed her eyes and sighed.

Out the corner of her eye, Anna saw Saul frown.

"I did not kill Tobias," Elsa said slowly. "Even despite his transgression. It would have been well within my right after his attempt at treason, but I did not."

"…Treason?" Alek asked.

"Yeah, he left me for dead up in the tower too!" Anna shut her mouth but the damage was done. From the way Elsa was rubbing her temple, she assumed that was a little too much information.

"You were in the tower?" Saul asked quickly. "What happened in there?"

"That is none of your business," Elsa retorted. Saul drew back, looking stricken, and Elsa gave pause. She opened her mouth, as though about to apologize – Anna could feel a bit of guilt in a detached sort of way, and she knew its source was Elsa from across their link. Elsa said nothing, then turned back to Alek. "As for Tobias, I don't know who killed him, but I know how."

"Fine, I'll listen," Alek said. "But if I find out you're lying…"

"Know your place. I have no need to lie to appease you," Elsa said, and Anna winced at the overly-confrontational tone. Still, Alek didn't say anything. It was true, anyhow. "Tobias mentioned another conspirator. Just as he was about to reveal his identity, a seal activated and silenced him."

"Are you saying someone else knows magic?" Saul asked, obviously skeptical.

"A likely story," Alek scoffed. "You are the only one here with those accursed powers, and everybody knows it. Do you have any proof, then, of this so-called magic?"

Magic. Anna flung her hand in the air and waved it about, an epiphany striking so strongly the air was almost knocked out of her chest. "You've seen it too! When I was at the library, you remember how I fell? It wasn't me being clumsy, I couldn't have thrown myself back five feet; I was listening in and something pushed me away!"

Alek frowned. "That could have been Tobias–"

"Tobias did not wield magic," Elsa said.

"And I heard someone in there," Anna said. "I thought he was talking to himself but what if he was talking to that other person?"

"Many people talk to themselves while at study, whether to vocalize difficult concepts or otherwise," Saul pointed out. "And what more, none of us have ever shown any hint of the gift–"

"I believe Anna," Elsa said. Saul quieted, face completely blank; but Anna could tell he was struggling to bite back his words, and his gaze flicked over to her before gazing down. "And it collaborates with what Tobias told me. If you require more proof, Alek, I suggest you dig up his body and look at the runes."

"…I trust Anna too." Anna grinned, but Alek only took a deep breath with his eyes closed, then exhaled heavily as someone might before walking to the gallows. "It seems that I owe you an apology, Elsa. As Captain of the Guard, I'll make it my priority to find this killer."

Alek had bitten the apology out so painfully even Anna thought he sounded like he found his own words distasteful, but Elsa nodded.

"But make no mistake," Alek continued, grudging tone slipping back into a much gruffer voice while he glowered at Elsa, "I will still avenge Alvard."

"Then you really should make it a priority to find Tobias's killer."

None of them understood, but Anna felt a hint of quiet satisfaction from Elsa, the sort of triumph when finally reaching the answer to a long-elusive question. Confusion clouded Alek's eyes, but the subject of Alvard was unmissable. While he was as distrustful as ever, he asked, "What are you saying this time?"

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "You should know your brother best. You didn't think it strange that Alvard, who was always talking about protecting the innocent, would choose to fire at Anna?"

Anna winced when Alek seemed struck dumb for a moment, lips parting soundlessly. Then he whirled towards her and demanded, "Is that true?" Before Anna could answer, Alek shook his head furiously. "But Alvard couldn't have – I don't believe it. You didn't say anything when we met. I remember that, so Elsa has to be lying–"

"She's not," Anna whispered, and at her words Alek staggered back with wide eyes. He looked lost, all his fire quelled so suddenly it left him unbelievably vulnerable. It was as though he could barely stay on his feet; Saul helped him to a seat and Alek all but collapsed, head bowed and eyes downcast.

"I didn't – I didn't realize–"

"There's no need for that," Elsa said, and Alek's head snapped up. "Alvard might have pressed the trigger, but it wasn't his will. I was always confused before, but it makes sense now. Whoever cursed Tobias was using Alvard too. Or…to be more accurate, sending him to his death."

Alek said nothing.

"Wh-Why is that?" Anna asked for him.

"No one would think Alvard capable of actually killing me, and the fact that he ended up shooting at you makes it even more obvious that assassination wasn't the goal," Elsa said. "Therefore…"

"You think the whole thing was to provoke you into killing Alvard," Saul finished.

Elsa nodded. "Maybe he learned something he shouldn't have. And then this sorcerer placed a compulsion on his mind, sent him to kill me…"

"Borrowing your hand to get rid of Alvard." Saul shook his head. "This is all well and good, but again only conjecture. All this seems too fantastical, who would do all of this, and why–"

His words were cut off by a guttural snarl. Before anyone could react Alek rose and swept from the room, moving so quickly the door swung behind him. Anna moved to go after him without even thinking, but after taking the first steps she turned back to Elsa in question.

"He won't want to see me, but you two should go," Elsa said.

Anna nodded. Saul looked as though he wanted to argue but he bowed and left with her, his face set in displeasure for the first time since Anna had met him.

* * *

Anna couldn't help but ask as they left and walked closer to one of the branching crossroads. "Why is all this so hard to believe?"

Saul smiled, but it was painfully small and quite obviously forced. "I suppose I am grounded in the things I can see and touch. All of this magic is foreign to me."

"You're surrounded by it," Anna said, gesturing with her hand towards the icy palace. "And Elsa has it too! I thought you would, you know, be used to it."

"Yes, but all of this is tangible. Conjecture based on unreliable information–" Saul took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Well, I trust you know more than I do. We should split up and look for Alek."

Before Anna could say another word, Saul turned down the right fork. She was left to mull over his words while walking down the left, and she at first bristled over the _unreliable information _bit. That was an obvious jibe at her, then. Did he really think she was clumsy enough to trampoline backwards for no reason? But then she realized that Saul was _jealous_. All that about knowing more…

Well, Anna _did_. She stopped dead in her tracks at the thought. It was strange to realize that she probably knew more about Elsa than anyone ever did or ever would, having seen her memories firsthand and even now being privy to her thoughts. She knew Elsa as well as she knew herself.

"I wonder if I can…" Anna muttered, and she focused on the thought of Elsa. She could actually feel her. Elsa's presence was far-off but clearly _there_, like a bright corner in her mind. Anna drew away, breathing deeply. She would need to figure this out. Later.

She wandered the halls in search of Alek, but he was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully he had just gone somewhere to vent and wasn't doing something stupid. Maybe the thought of the mysterious sorcerer was on her mind, because unwittingly her feet brought her to the library. Strangely, the door was slightly open, so Anna carefully peered inside and saw a bright glow.

But not magic, only flames. She walked in and noticed Edmund kneeling on the ground with a censer, eyes unblinking and unfocused as he stared into the fire.

"…Edmund?" Anna called.

Edmund turned, and his lips turned into an o of surprise. He scrambled to his feet and brushed off some powder stuck on his trousers, but it was persistent and stuck onto his hands so he bent down all over again and smacked his palms onto the ground. Anna grinned when he nearly tripped and fell doing that, but he recovered with a shaky laugh.

"Sorry, you surprised me," Edmund said.

"What are you doing?" Anna asked, looking into the censer.

"Have you…heard about Tobias?" When Anna nodded, Edmund sat down again and pat the floor next to him. After Anna claimed a seat he continued. "I guess I'm holding a mini-funeral for him."

"Were you two close?"

Edmund snorted. "About as close as two male reindeer during mating season." Anna blinked and he shrugged. "Picked that up from Kristoff."

"So why all this, then?"

"Tobias was still my brother," Edmund said. "Nobody liked him much, you know, so I don't think anyone else is going to care or do much for him. So, that's why I'm burning some incense. He liked the libraries a whole lot, I'm thinking maybe his spirit or whatever might be here."

"…Oh."

"Scared of ghosts?"

Anna frowned. "No! I just mean…" She sighed, picked up one of the incense sticks, and fed it into the fire. "Well, I guess I'm sorry for your loss."

"It _does _seem like you're bad luck. You've been here less than a month and that's two out of thirteen now," Edmund said, but any venom in his words was counteracted by his soft smile. "But it's not your fault, I know. _You _didn't kill them."

"Do you blame… Elsa?" Anna asked. "Alek did. He came running up and almost attacked her."

"Don't get me wrong! I don't blame Elsa at all," Edmund declared, sounding quite hurried and almost breathy. "I really don't. Elsa is really…perfect."

"…You're not like Saul, right?"

Edmund laughed and shook his head. "No, I just admire her a lot. I guess you could say I think of her like a big sister? I look up to her, I really do – I think she has a lot of qualities that I should aspire to. I'm glad the Southern Isles has her; I can't imagine any of _us _being in charge."

"I wish she wasn't," Anna muttered. "It's taking a lot out of her."

"Yeah, I know. I remember when we were all younger, and Elsa wasn't so…"

"Drained," Anna finished.

"Don't sell yourself short though. Look outside," Edmund said. Anna did just that, and she gasped when she finally noticed the change. "Yeah, the snowstorm has stopped. I can't remember it ever stopping for the past five, six years."

"You think it's because of me?"

"I _know _it's because of you. If anyone can help Elsa, it's you. You're the only one…who can thaw her frozen heart." Edmund spread out his arms and lay back on the floor with his eyes closed, one hand cushioning his head and the other rubbing at his temple. "Wake me up if the library starts burning down, all right?"

Anna nodded absentmindedly, her thoughts far away.

"I can…help her…?"

Yes, Anna thought. She knew Elsa best, and after everything she had seen, she knew she had to do this. There could be no one else. She had to be the one to help Elsa learn to feel again.

"That's what I'm going to do."

* * *

**a/n: **Apologies for the delay, life and school kicking in. Future chapters might be a little shorter, but I'll try to keep the updates consistent! Thank you for understanding. Oh, and check out the side-story I posted if you haven't already :D


	13. One Persistent Thought

**Chapter 13: One Persistent Thought**

"Alek!"

Hans observed from the edge of the room as Saul scoured the hallways, shouting incessantly for the buffoon. Well, he was on the right track; Alek had stalked through not long ago, looking even more wretched than usual, and Hans wisely decided to stay out of sight. Gods knew why he looked so murderous, but Alek had always despised him. It might have been an opportunity to nudge Alek towards some foolhardy idea or another, get him killed in some crusade, but Hans wouldn't put it past him to try something violent in the mood he was in. No, Hans knew better. On the other hand, Saul…

"I wouldn't suggest bothering him," Hans said, stepping out to the open and smiling when Saul flinched at the interruption. "Ahh, sorry for surprising you."

"No, I apologize for not noticing. I was too focused on Alek," Saul said. Unfailingly polite as always, but Hans was used to being unnoticed in favor of others. Some part of him wondered if Saul realized how his words could be construed, but it hardly mattered anymore.

"Alek left to the training grounds. If I were you, I would leave him to his usual mindless sword-waving; I believe that works for him," Hans said. "What's put him in such a mood?"

Saul shifted. "A long story. I hardly know where to start."

"Hmm. Queen Elsa, I suppose?"

"In a manner of speaking," Saul said, slowly, now crossing one arm over himself to clutch his elbow. Not from cold, Hans could tell. "But not through any fault of hers. It's only that–"

"No, I understand. I didn't mean to say that it was," Hans said, smile widening when Saul relaxed just a little. It was best to let them think they were safe, make them drop their guard and show their vulnerability, and then what you said next disoriented even more. Keep them unbalanced. Stay in control. "Though even you must admit that Elsa has a long history of wronging us."

And just like that Saul was defensive again, face hardening with steel, but he was thrown off balance and Hans knew. "Queen Elsa is our rightful ruler, and I will not tolerate any disrespect."

Hans held up his hands in mock surrender. "Of course, I forgot. You've been her staunch supporter all this time, Saul. Advocating her rule even as the rest of us chafe under her command. Working tirelessly in the background to lessen her burdens."

"What are you trying to say, Hans?"

"I'm saying that despite everything you do for her, Elsa doesn't appreciate you," Hans said, voice like silk and cream, gentle but all the more hurtful for his lack of venom. Saul stilled, lips parting before he swallowed, dry-mouthed and speechless. "You deserve more, Saul. You, who should have been king."

"I-I don't know what you're saying," Saul said quickly, shaking his head and retreating a step back. "I have always given you respect as my brother, and I expect the same in return. Speak no more of this."

"It's because we are brothers that I say this. Elsa is only the rightful ruler because Father made her so, but anyone could tell that she isn't the best choice." Saul continued to shake his head weakly, but he offered no rebuttal. Hans stepped forward and added with vicious glee, "You are."

Saul remained silent, only looked down, but his silence said much. Even he had to have entertained the thought before, when a commoner girl with no royal blood in her veins suddenly overtook their throne.

"Out of the thirteen of us, you are the best," Hans continued, pacing like a shark smelling blood on the water. "You are the wisest of us. You are the most able, and I admit this freely. It isn't fair that you toil away for nothing when this kingdom should have been passed to you, not to Elsa."

"Enough," Saul muttered.

"I realize that you think you love her," Hans said, laying a hand on Saul's shoulder, and his brother flinched like the touch burned. "And that is perhaps why you continue to allow this utter travesty to continue, but Saul – Elsa has never appreciated you. As your brother, I have to tell you that you deserve more than to be second-best to an incompetent, worthless little girl from Arendelle–"

"That's enough!" Saul threw off his hand, breathing deeply and clenching his jaw so tightly Hans could see a muscle pulse in his cheek. "This is treason!"

"Tell me that you don't feel slighted," Hans said. "And _Anna. _Tell me that you think Anna could ever compare to you. You were always there for Elsa, but Anna? What has she done but taken what belongs to you? After all this time, do you not deserve to have Elsa?"

"You already have so much to say. So why don't you tell me, since you seem to know so much?" Saul challenged.

Hans smiled. "You answered my question with a question. That's an evasion."

"You–"

"Don't give up the throne because of some foolish sense of altruism," Hans urged. "You can have both this kingdom and Elsa if you would only act for yourself. The Southern Isles and Elsa are rightfully yours, and Anna? Anna is nothing but an obstacle."

"I refuse to listen to more," Saul said, speaking through clenched teeth, turning away and tightening his fists so his hands would not shake, but Hans noticed the tell-tale tremble all across his body. "Goodbye, Hans."

"You know I speak the truth," Hans said, watching as Saul left. He did nothing to stop him. The seed had been planted, and now all that he needed was time to let it grow. They could play some other time.

And in the meantime, there was always Anna as a distraction.

* * *

Elsa gazed out the window of her study as she so often did every day of the past week, just to make sure her eyes hadn't fooled her for the past six. Her storm had stopped. Not _her _storm in the sense that she had ever been in control of it, but the storm caused by her reliquary. For nearly six years it had raged with neither end nor even the slightest hint of weakening; and yet now it abated, leaving only a calm plain of white snow without the howling blizzard.

She spent much of her time with Anna, and strangely that was usually at Anna's request. Elsa admitted some confusion about the girl's behavior the past week; Anna had insisted on accompanying her no matter what she did, even toiling away at paperwork, and Elsa knew that staying still and quiet for hours at a time was hardly something Anna enjoyed. It was honestly perplexing.

Not that Elsa minded. It was something of a relief to have her company, a welcome break from the monotony even if sometimes Anna was perhaps _too _enthusiastic. Just now she had taken a look at the clock and sprinted out, yelling something about coming back quickly. Elsa was growing used to her quirks and thought nothing of it. Was this peace she had found, with Anna?

But whatever she felt now, it didn't feel like peace.

Her head hurt.

She grimaced as another throb drummed through her skull, bringing with it another memory she had repressed for all these years. They were coming stronger and stronger. With practiced ease she blocked it out, imagining herself mechanically filing it away in some dark, decrepit corner of her mind. They were only hindrances muddling her thoughts, and she needed nothing of them. Let them rot away.

Anna said that shutting out her emotions was lying to herself, but Elsa wasn't so sure. Happiness, excitement, warmth; those things she felt around Anna, those things Elsa wanted back. But her memories, her weakness, her pain? It was only human nature to avoid unpleasant thoughts. People couldn't linger in the past forever without losing themselves. Wasn't there a saying that people had to move on and look to the future? She had taken it a step further, but that was only the logical extreme.

Yet another pang that felt like a spike being driven through her head, and no amount of rubbing her temple could ward off the pain. Long ago she had developed a habit to distract herself in case any stray thought of the past slipped through. On instinct she resorted to reciting in her head the litany of texts she memorized. In her mind's eye, she could see the exact lines on the exact page: _Faust_ by Goethe, Scene Five, Lines 1112 to 1117.

_In me there are two souls, alas, and their  
Division tears my life in two.  
One loves the world, it clutches her, it binds  
Itself to her, clinging with furious lust;  
The other longs to soar beyond the dust  
Into the realm of high ancestral minds._

And _Macbeth_ by Shakespeare, followed by Webster's _The White Devil_, then _Frankenstein _by Mary Shelley. She closed her eyes and visualized the pages with perfect recall, seeing their crinkled edges complete with text, borders marked with her annotations. Elsa scrambled the texts together so the words ran together into an incomprehensible jumble; then picked out one strand and traced it to its source, reconstructed it from the beginning until it was back in order and distinct from the muddle. A strange habit – perhaps too chaotic for anyone else to understand how it could possibly be calming – but for Elsa it was as good a method as any for driving away distracting memories.

She couldn't afford to be distracted. Not only did she have to keep the Southern Isles afloat, she had to hasten the finding of the Mirror if she hoped to ever revive Markus. Almost a month had passed since Arendelle, and to her complete and utter surprise, there had been no sign of a shard or even a splinter of the Mirror there. She could sense them, in a way. Hear the whispers of the fragments yearning to be complete again. But there was nothing; Arendelle was a mystery to her.

And then this new development of the Sorcerer lurking in the shadows…

Elsa was so preoccupied that she missed the door opening. Only when a file dropped onto her desk did she open her eyes.

"You seem distressed," Gustaf said. It was his voice that first alerted her of the eldest prince, a deep drawl that resembled the rumbling of a landslide, stone grinding upon stone. In a way, he reminded her of Markus; Gustaf looked so similar to his father he could have been mistaken as the same person.

It only set her on edge.

Elsa forced her hands away from her forehead and masked the pain, but even her indifference was a paltry act compared to Gustaf. There was a mask she could admire, one of apathy and atrophy. Markus had never been one for traditional primogeniture, preferring merit; and it was once said that he had replaced Gustaf, the eldest and most likely candidate for Crown Prince, because of his lack of ambition. Elsa knew otherwise.

Gustaf had tried to seize the throne before she ever stepped foot in the castle.

"What is this?" Elsa asked, but she riffled through the papers before Gustaf even answered, eyes picking out words during the split second each one was revealed. "Reports from the town?"

"Pursue it at your leisure," Gustaf said. "There are better times."

Elsa set the file aside. Dealing with Gustaf would take her full concentration. Had he brought them in for the sake of distracting her? It seemed petty. But why else would he personally bring them? "I admit many things have been chaotic as of late. But rest assured that everything is under control."

"I have never doubted your ability." Gustaf claimed a seat without invitation, bulky frame and dark furs of his overcoat almost completely masking the white of her sofa. He fixed her with a heavy stare. "Only your motivation. To be frank, ruling suits you ill."

Elsa frowned at the old jibe, the rumor that she had taken the throne by force, but from Gustaf it was especially insulting. "What exactly are you trying to insinuate?"

"Entirely the opposite of what others might think. I know you have no desire to rule," Gustaf said, shrugging. "Father has burdened you unfairly."

"Hardly unfair, given all that Markus has done for me."

"Has he really?" Gustaf hummed from the back of his throat. "Well, believe what you will, but you cannot tell me you wish to rule when it is so exceedingly obvious otherwise."

"Who else would rule in his stead?" Elsa asked, clenching her hand so ice would not erupt with her frustration. It stung that he was right. It was a tiring, thankless rule she took on, and one she longed to relinquish. "Yourself, Gustaf? You, who tried to usurp his father's throne?"

As if deliberately angering Elsa further, Gustaf only laughed away the offense, waved his hand like he could brush the ugly past aside. "It was a foolish notion of my youth. Idealism, you know. I thought I could make the world a better place. Bring justice."

"…Was there something else you needed?" Elsa could feel the migraine coming back.

"No," Gustaf said, rising to his feet almost laboriously, both hands pressing down on his knees to support himself. "I only wanted to visit, for old time's sake if nothing else. It's been too long since you've been among us mortal ilk. Isolate yourself too long, and you'll lose sight."

"I haven't forgotten. I know exactly what I'm supposed to be doing," Elsa said.

"I wasn't talking about Father and his crusade." Halfway to the door, Gustaf paused and turned his head just a fraction. "You know, Elsa, you were much more open-minded as a child. Do you remember what it was like, back then? Maybe you've lost something."

Before Elsa could answer, Gustaf walked out and shut the door behind him.

* * *

When Anna had realized any normal lunch hour had passed and Elsa _still _hadn't eaten a thing the entire day, she sprinted off.

Anna nearly ran into Gustaf when she returned from the pantries, charging around the corner without a care and skidding to a stop inches before what promised to be a painful impact. In her hands, a plate covered with a dome wobbled dangerously.

"Whoa, sorry," Anna said, laughing nervously when Gustaf eyed her like she was some particularly ugly insect he was debating whether or not to squash. "Didn't see you there."

After a long, terse moment and the silence stretched on rather uncomfortably until Anna began to think about just walking around him, Gustaf finally chuckled. "It's of no consequence, but take care in the future. You're too…excitable."

"A little?" Anna shrugged.

"Well, I suppose that's part of the charm." Gustaf chuckled again and Anna stared, not quite sure what to make of the compliment. "I must take my leave, but feel free to find me for a game of chess."

"Sure." Anna waved as Gustaf went the other direction, quietly thinking that the day she joined another game of chess – and risked getting decapitated by a stray piece flung at her head – would be the day hell froze over. Although she was about as close to that situation as anyone could be, really…

Well, whatever.

Anna continued on her way, balancing the plate in one hand and her other hand unconsciously playing with the strand of white hair. It had been long enough since she left that she knew Elsa wouldn't be in her room anymore; Elsa rarely spent any time there outside of sleep, and Anna knew she barely slept so it was really just the few hours of night she decided not to work. So, office it was. Anna was close, only a few seconds away – even at a slower walking pace, to avoid any repeat incidents – and she assumed Gustaf had left Elsa's office just now.

When she opened the door, Elsa looked up with visible irritation. It was more than a little surprising to see her with eyebrows knit together and lips drawn into a tight grimace, but as soon as Elsa noticed it was Anna, she relaxed. After giving the plate a bemused glance, she looked back down to her reports with a sigh. "Nobody knocks now," Elsa murmured.

"Maybe you should just keep the door open," Anna quipped. She still closed it behind her though. Elsa liked her privacy.

"I may as well," Elsa said. "I wonder if the rest are taking cues from you."

"That's just unfair," Anna grumbled. "So what did Gustaf want? I ran into him outside just now. Literally. It was pretty awkward–"

"Be careful around him," Elsa said, frown deepening and pen jabbing out her signature with unnecessary force. Ink splattered in a line across the page, but Elsa hardly seemed to notice.

"Why? He seems pretty all right. Invited me to chess, but I'm probably going to bail. Cyrus and Fabian can get _vicious_."

"I would advise you to be careful around the majority of the princes, but that's a precaution. Around Gustaf, being careful is a necessity," Elsa said. "You don't know this, but Gustaf tried before to take the throne from Markus."

"…Wow. You really can't tell from the way he acts," Anna muttered. Out of everyone, Gustaf, the guy who played chess and practiced fancy writing all day? She would have expected Tobias to pull something like that, not Gustaf. "How did that happen?"

"It was before Markus found me, but I hear that Gustaf enlisted the aid of court officials to try and force Markus to abdicate, the excuse being an inability to rule due to old age–"

"No, I meant…" Anna interrupted. "Well, why did he do it? There had to be a reason."

Elsa stopped with pen halfway to the page and blinked, looking so stunned that Anna could tell she had never considered the question. "I don't know. I never thought to ask."

"At least he wasn't being murderous like Tobias," Anna said. "Is that why he's still around?"

"More or less," Elsa answered. She rubbed at her temple again with her free hand, a habit Anna was fast discovering to be chronic. "And Markus spared his son because he is, after all, his son."

"Do you have a headache again?" Anna walked up the dais, set the plate down, and plucked the pen from Elsa's hand. She set it aside out of her reach. "I think you need a break."

Elsa shook her head and reached for the pen, but Anna snatched it up again and held onto it, taking the reports for good measure. "No, I still have a lot to do. Corona, especially. They're having a shortage, but resources are spread thin as it is–"

A part of her wondered about how Arendelle was faring. Anna still missed and loved her home, she really did; but for the life of her, she couldn't find the subject important enough to bring up when Elsa was obviously suffering from what would likely develop into a migraine at any moment. Her _own _head was starting to throb, and if just the backlash from their link was that bad…

"Elsa, you're not going to get anything done the way you are. Have you even eaten?"

"I don't need to," Elsa said. "You know that. My powers are enough to sustain me."

"That's no reason not to eat! That can't be healthy, living off…uhh, magical ice," Anna said. She pushed the plate towards Elsa and lifted the dome, revealing a tempting array of _healthy _food, not all chocolate like she had been tempted to get.

"You're one to talk about healthy eating." Elsa nudged the meal aside and held out her hand, lips pursing into a thin line when Anna only threw the reports aside and raised her chin. "Anna. This isn't the time for games; I don't have time to dawdle."

"It's not a game, I just want you to take a break before you kill yourself." Anna pushed the plate towards Elsa again, only for her to nudge it aside again.

"…Anna, I don't need it and I don't want it," Elsa said, something dark flashing through her eyes. Anna noticed, but she ignored it.

"You're going to eat, and that's that."

"It would just be a waste of time–"

Another attempt which Anna failed, but she wouldn't give up that easily. She tried again, followed by another try, and then another, pushing the plate closer and closer each time; and each time Elsa's frown grew deeper and deeper, her refusals more and more impatient. Until finally, when Anna was close to force-feeding her, Elsa snapped.

"_I said I don't want it!_" Elsa's voice harshened into a low growl, and she sprang to her feet, swung her arm so strongly she flung the plate out of Anna's hands. Ice arced from her fingers and followed the direction of her swing, hardening into a thin layer of rime over her desk before spiking upwards into a row of tapered spears.

Both of them stopped and stared, Anna at the ruined meal sliding down the wall and Elsa at her ice.

When Elsa came back to her senses she jerked back and looked away, clutching her closed hand to herself and breathing deeply. "I didn't mean – I-I'm sorry. Please, Anna, just…just leave me be."

She was doing it again. She was going to hide away again, in fear of hurting her, but Anna knew she never would. Not even accidentally. As close as the ice had come, it had stopped.

Carefully, Anna reached past the spikes; Elsa shrank back in her chair and drew her hand back further, following Anna every inch of the way with her eyes. But though her breath hitched, Elsa did nothing when Anna gently took her trembling hand in hers. Letting out a tiny sigh when Elsa refused to budge, Anna tugged her hand free and opened her closed fingers one by one, rubbing light circles over her skin.

"See, nothing happened. I told you I'm not afraid," Anna said, smiling when Elsa only stared, speechless with wonder. "You don't have to say sorry all the time."

"But I could have…"

"You could have, but nothing happened," Anna said. "I just want you to take a break. I pushed a little too much, I know, but you really need it and – I wish you would take better care of yourself."

Elsa shook her head and stood, pulling away from Anna with a light tug. Before Anna could ask what she was doing, Elsa crossed the room in two quick strides. Bending down where the plate had shattered against the wall, she picked up a piece of bread, brushed it off, and slowly bit into it.

"I know," Elsa whispered.

Anna felt something warm inside, spreading from her heart like it pumped liquid joy instead of blood. She couldn't be sure if it was her or Elsa. All she knew was that she couldn't stop grinning, but still…

"Maybe we should get you something else," Anna suggested. "That's all dirty, and–"

"This is the best food I've ever had," Elsa said, continuing to savor the grubby piece of bread like it was really the greatest thing in the world. "You brought me this."

"Y-You're just saying that." Anna drummed her knuckles together and laughed nervously, but Elsa smiled softly and seemed to have no intention of taking it back. She meant it. "It's not even chocolate, so it can't be the best."

"Next time you can bring me chocolate then." Elsa scanned the mess of food again, but not much else was still edible. Anna could see glass shards embedded in some of the rest.

"Don't hurt yourself!" Anna dashed forward and stopped Elsa, leading her away from the glass. "I'm glad you ate, but you don't have to, really, none of that is even any good anymore."

"I'm sorry for wasting your efforts," Elsa said.

"Then you know how you can make it up to me?" Anna backed away holding both hands together at her chin, trying her hardest to contain her excitement, but she couldn't help bouncing back and forth from one foot to the next. She grinned so widely she was sure her face would hurt if she wasn't so caught up with her idea, and eventually she bit her lip to hold back a squeal. It was such a spontaneous thought, but now that the inspiration struck it was persistent. She could hardly wait. It was so perfect.

"Anything," Elsa promised.

Anna smiled and asked, "Do you want to build a snowman?"


	14. Do You Want to Build a Snowman

**Chapter 14: Do You Want to Build a Snowman**

"Do you want to build a snowman?"

Of all the reactions Anna had expected, dread was the last.

"I don't think we should," Elsa said, entire posture changing in the blink of an eye. She hunched inwards, hugging her arms close so even her shoulders were raised, as though that mere question were anathema. Anna felt something bleed through their link, something sickly and poisonous that seemed to seep into her bones, infecting all of her thoughts with doubt and hesitation. Fear?

"Why not?" Anna asked.

"I have to…" Elsa cast her gaze around the office, settling on the discarded reports with relief. "I have to finish reading the petitions and make my decisions–"

"That can wait," Anna insisted. "Nothing is going to collapse without you micromanaging for half a day, I promise. Please?"

"I'm really not sure, Anna, I think–"

"You know I'll never stop bothering you about it until you agree," Anna said. She could tell something was bothering Elsa – anyone could tell – but at the same time, Elsa needed this. It was one of the last remnants of a ruined childhood, one that she needed to overcome.

"Just this once, then."

Anna grinned and took Elsa's hand, all but dragging her out the stuffy office and through the halls, feeling incredulous glances in their direction from all the servants. Elsa shifted uncomfortably but allowed her to continue, taking only a moment to silence the hushed muttering with a dark stare that sent the workers scampering. Anna only grinned wider. Before long they burst through the doors with aplomb, leaving them swinging furiously while they stepped outside.

Without the perpetual storm, it really wasn't so bad outside. Anna could appreciate the beauty of winter when snow and ice wasn't flying through the currents of a howling wind and biting into her skin. Nearly all of Elsa's snow was the powdery stuff too, the type of snow that was soft and sifted through the fingers, not hardened blocks of what was essentially ice.

There was a bit of childish wonder in seeing the pure plain of white.

"Well, come on!" Anna ran farther out as Elsa trailed behind, seemingly reluctant, but she could feel a tiny jump of excitement in her heart that undoubtedly came from Elsa.

Anna released a loud whoop and flopped onto the bed of snow. "Oh, _wow_, that's cold." She stretched out her arms and legs and swept them back and forth.

A shadow grew over her as Elsa peered down, looking utterly perplexed. "What are you doing?"

"Making a snow angel," Anna said. "You've never done it?"

Elsa shook her head slowly.

"It's easy! All right, just lie down next to me and do what I'm doing." Anna moved her arms up and down to demonstrate. "See? Easy."

"…Okay." Far from Anna's ungraceful flop, Elsa tentatively bent down, turned, and lowered herself as though she were falling onto a bed of nails. But the moment she lied down her mouth opened in a tiny gasp, and for a split second Anna saw through her eyes. Looking up at the open sky, feeling the hum of each snowflake all around her join into song as though rejoicing her presence…

It was freedom.

"You can hear them? I mean, you can hear the snowflakes?" Anna asked, turning her head to see Elsa with her eyes closed and a peaceful smile on her face.

"Each and every one. They're all unique, and they all have their own voice. It's not that they're sentient, exactly," Elsa explained. "But they _are _alive, in their own way." Elsa stretched out and followed Anna's example, fingers brushing through the snow; and again Anna could feel it, the way every one stuck to her hands greedily and filled her mind with a content hum.

And then Elsa laughed.

Not the restrained sounds she had always made before, but a real, honest laugh of delight. It was clear, and bright, and very much unlike the sharp, frigid ice Elsa tried to be. It was like snow. There was so much more color than anyone could have imagined. Snow reflected the warmth of sunrise better than anything, and Elsa was so much more than anyone knew she was – Anna supposed the sound of Elsa's laughter was to her what the song of the snow must have sounded like to Elsa. Anna had never heard anything more beautiful, and for a moment she was struck dumb by the sound of it.

"Why are you staring?" Elsa asked suddenly.

"I'm not!" Anna cleared her throat, but the reddening of her face betrayed her. Even Elsa had to know it wasn't from cold, and judging from her widening smile she was _enjoying _this.

"Is it the cute laugh thing again?" Elsa teased.

"Oh my god, you did hear me that time." For a moment Anna wanted nothing more than to burrow into the snow and never come out again; but on second thought, Elsa would probably dig her out without much problem so she just huffed and shuffled her arms faster, trying to calm herself down–

Her fingers brushed over Elsa's hand.

That might not have been too bad, but then Elsa decided to hold her hand and Anna stopped dead. Not that Anna hadn't done the same thing before, but when she wasn't expecting it…

"Is this okay?" Elsa whispered.

"Y-Yes!" Anna had felt Elsa beginning to pull away. It took less than a second for her to decide to tighten her grip, and Anna knew she made the right choice when Elsa smiled again. Besides, it wasn't like Anna didn't want to herself. Quite the opposite. "But, uhh, our angels are going to overlap so maybe they'll end up looking a bit weird…"

"That's fine," Elsa said.

So with their hands linked together, they continued making their snow-angels. Anna was worried her hand might start sweating, but luckily the comfortable briskness of Elsa's skin made it a moot point. Still, her heart was beating fast enough for the both of them and Anna had to remind herself to continue breathing. Something about being in contact with Elsa made her lose her senses.

At last they stood and observed their handiwork.

"Yep, looks a little strange," Anna said. "Look, the wings are all…"

"Maybe they're just standing close together," Elsa said. "I can see it. Two angels holding hands."

Then Anna realized she was _still _holding onto Elsa's hand. She let go with a shaky laugh and pointed back to the snow. "So, uhh, let's make a snowman! Th-That was why we came out. Snowmen."

Anna bent down and collected a handful of snow, patting it together into a ball. When Elsa didn't come to join her, she looked back. For whatever reason, Elsa was stalling again. She was actually brushing her foot across the snow over and over in a rare show of discomfort, and something like terror leaked through their link. Anna felt as though an icy hand had gripped her heart.

"They hated me," Elsa said, and Anna knew she was talking about her parents. She looked down at her hands. "Because of what I could do. Because of snowmen."

"It's okay," Anna said. "No one is going to tell you to hide anymore. You can enjoy yourself. You can _be _yourself. Elsa? Let's build a snowman. Is that okay?"

"…Yes. Thank you, Anna."

"You can do the honors then!" Anna laid the snowball on the ground and shuffled to the side. Elsa took a deep breath and kneeled, reaching painfully slowly. Her hand stopped and hovered over the snowball, and she looked towards Anna. Anna nodded encouragingly. Only then did Elsa finally make her decision and roll the snowball along, and as it collected more snow and grew larger so did her smile.

"You should get started on the middle section," Elsa said.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Anna saluted, and Elsa shook her head in amusement.

Anna packed another snowball and rolled it along, running to keep up and making it take wild turns. She nearly collided with Elsa on a particularly sharp pivot and again almost slipped on the icy surface as she skidded to a stop. Elsa only continued laughing quietly and rolling her snowball. Anna had no idea how when she was doing it so slowly, but Elsa had made both the top and bottom by the time she completed her own part. And they were _perfect _too, completely spherical. On the other hand, hers…

"It's looking a little…lumpy."

"Just a little?" Elsa asked.

It _was_ an understatement. Maybe Anna had been a little overambitious, but her massive snowball resembled a porcupine gone wrong with all the little bumps and ridges decorating its surface.

"You're being sarcastic again," Anna grumbled. She tried to chop off one of the offending appendages on her snowball with her hand. It was frozen solid and didn't budge, but it did leave Anna waving her hand and cursing under her breath.

"I can fix it," Elsa said.

She waved her hand towards the snowball, and even Anna expected that the edges would smoothen out, that the snowball would become perfect.

But instead it imploded.

Snow exploded outwards so strongly it struck Anna with the force of a cannon strike. She was thrown back and rolled on the plains until her back hit the fountain close by, and only then did she stop. Elsa looked at her hand with horror and raced towards Anna. Just a few feet away, she froze.

"I-I didn't mean to–"

"It's fine!" Anna coughed. "I'm fine, really, I'm okay."

But Elsa didn't look any less horrified. Anna felt the blood pounding in her head, driving out all thought but panic. "Then the snowman, I can fix it, I can do it–"

Elsa waved her hand again, but it wasn't so much a wave as a graceless jerk of her arm. _Something _began to form, some grotesque caricature of a snowman; Anna saw the beginnings of jagged teeth and ridged spines before Elsa flinched and a veritable avalanche destroyed whatever was left. Elsa recoiled, breathing harsh and heavy, hand trembling violently.

_"Larger feats are easier by comparison. When I was younger I could create more things, but my powers grew stronger and stronger, until now…well."_

Anna finally understood. Even more than the influence of her parents, _this _was why Elsa didn't want to build a snowman. She couldn't. When was the last time Anna saw her do anything with her powers that wasn't for the sole purpose of destruction? Elsa wasn't capable of the finer control needed to create, to _design_ like she had when she was younger. Because her powers were too strong. Because of her choice to make her reliquary. Elsa's one comfort had been torn from her and Anna had done nothing but make her feel the loss all over again.

"I'm so sorry," Anna whispered.

It was the wrong thing to say.

"_I don't want to hear it!_"

Anna rose to her feet unsteadily, watching as Elsa bent inwards and heaved long, uneven breaths, clutching her chest where her heart was…or where her heart _should _have been. "E-Elsa…"

When Anna reached towards her, Elsa flinched away. A wall of ice rose between them, transparent so Anna could still see Elsa but never touch her. She was so close, but she was so far away. Anna let her hand fall slowly, the terror of her own heart mingled with the fear and anger from Elsa, the need to escape, to retreat, to never let anything hurt her again. It was a deluge of desperation, so much all at once she could barely stay on her feet.

"I don't want your pity; I don't _need_ anybody to pity me! Do you get that?" Elsa was all but screaming. It was snowing again. A sudden, contained blizzard sprung to life where they stood, so strong even Elsa needed to shield her eyes from the vicious gale.

"I-It's not pity, I just–"

Elsa backed away, shaking her head slowly and clutching her hand to herself. "Just leave me be, Anna, please. I just want to be alone. I _need_ to be alone."

_Alone, where I can't hurt you._

Anna couldn't have stopped her if she tried. She could only watch from behind a barrier of ice as Elsa left, bringing the storm with her; and suddenly, the plain of white snow, saturated by the dark purple of sunset, no longer looked so pure and perfect.

* * *

"_You can be king. I know you can, if I'm not there to burden you. It's the only thing I can do for you; I'm so sorry, Hans…I have to disappear." _

"Mother!"

Hans was jolted out of his dreams with hand outstretched in a futile grasp; but no matter how much he reached he was reaching for a comfort that was no longer there, the nightmares he suffered even as he craved them. Everything hurt. He woke in a cold sweat, heaving breaths so harsh he could barely breathe. At the sound of his scream, the maid he had picked out for the night woke as well.

"Lord Hans…?" Hans didn't know her name. She blinked groggily and reached out for him, to touch him again. The thought made him so sick he thought he might throw up. "Is everything all right?"

Hans flung her arm away and she fell out of bed with a cry. "Get away from me! Get away – I don't need you to–"

"L-Lord Hans?" Stupid wench. She rose and perhaps thought to _comfort _him again, but he knew why she was here with him.

"I told you to leave!" Hans caught her wrist in a steel grip, and this time he saw her eyes clouded by pain mingled with fear, delicious fear that told him he was in control at last. "Who do you think you are? You're just a whore, I _bought _you, I needed your services and I don't anymore, so _leave_! Get out!"

He threw her back and it took only an instant for the girl to scramble away, half-dressed but desperate to flee. Hans sat back, hid his face in his hands, and focused on the simple act of breathing. Set a controlled pace, breathe in and out. Even that was beyond him. Finally he rose to his feet and dressed, cleaned his face in the wash basin, and let his feet take him where they would.

As much as he tried to deny it, Hans already knew where he his path would eventually lead. Maybe he wasn't letting his feet take him after all. Maybe he still wanted to go, after so long.

First to the stables, where he saw the stable-hand Kristoff Bjorgman still hard at work. As usual, they gave each other a polite nod.

"You're here for Sitron?" Kristoff asked. As an afterthought he added, "Your Highness."

"Yes. Thank you," Hans said, because he knew from experience that Kristoff would ask no questions, only nod and retrieve his horse for him despite the late hour. As expected, it took only a moment before Kristoff returned with the tan-colored horse and handed him the reins. Sitron neighed happily once he saw him, and Hans let himself smile just a little.

"I know the storm stopped and all, but you might still want to bring an overcoat," Kristoff said. He strode over to the coat-stand and snatched up a particularly heavy cloak. "Take this one, Edmund left it."

Hans took the coat and shrugged it on. Only when warmed did he realize his walk through the snow had chilled through his thin garb. Without another word, Kristoff returned to his work and Hans left.

It was close enough that riding Sitron would be an exercise in lethargy, and the horse was not a beast of burden but a companion. Hans walked, taking the reins only to lead Sitron along, but he doubtless knew the path just as well. Far from the castle and even farther out from the stables were the surrounding gardens, now little more than a forest of dead trees. Dry, brittle branches that would snap at the slightest pressure. If only they were always so…

"We're here," Hans whispered. Sitron lowered his head in deference. Within the woods stood a single tree no different from the rest. "Another year has passed, Mother."

There was no marker for him to pay his respects to, no tombstone to kneel at and properly grieve. There was only the tree where his mother had chosen to die, unassumingly and quietly so she would bother no one in death as she had bothered no one in life, with but a single sign to show for it. The rope was still looped around its branches.

"I thought I wouldn't need to come this year, but here I am anyway," Hans said, and he reached out to trace his fingers across the rope. Part of him wanted to take it down at last. Another part wanted it to stay as a memorial. Nothing else marked this spot.

When Hans stepped back, Sitron neighed softly and trod forward, nudging his head under his palm so Hans could feel the soft hair of his mane and the warmth of his body. Hans brushed Sitron's hair and together, they stood in vigil.

"Those brothers of mine who forced you to your death, Mother? Two of them are dead. I'm that much closer to avenging you," Hans said. "Would you be proud of me?"

Something told him no.

Hans heard that little voice in the back of his head very often. Just as often he shut it out.

"…It was a high like I've never felt before. I remember Alvard pushing me around, Tobias spreading lies about you. It felt like I was finally cleansing myself of something cancerous, cutting away their filth. But then…I was alone again.

"Sometimes I don't remember why I'm doing this. I tell myself, for you, but I can barely remember you now. I can't be sure. Maybe this is for myself," Hans admitted. "Is this what you felt? When you told yourself you would die for my sake? I wonder if you did it for yourself after all."

Sitron whinnied, and Hans turned away.

"Let's go, Sitron."

* * *

Anna wasn't sure where to go.

She wandered about the castle for the next few hours hardly knowing where she was going, but she wandered anyway because there was nowhere she wanted to be. There was no one she wanted to be _with_, other than the one person who wouldn't want her company anymore.

During her aimless walk she encountered many of the princes. No sign of Alek, but Saul took one look at her and simply walked away again looking pained. Anna didn't question it. Even Fabian gave her a wide berth rather than tease her or jeer some insult, and Anna vaguely recognized that she must have looked _really _troubled to garner that type of reaction.

"If you are distressed," Gustaf said in the lounge, "I suggest calligraphy."

"…Is that what you're doing now?" Anna asked.

Gustaf nodded and continued to ink large, elaborate letters onto sheets of parchment, all of them in different styles. "I find that it helps me keep my thoughts in order. Imitation to find focus, and freeform to allow the imagination to run free. Perhaps you should give it a try."

"Maybe another time," Anna said.

It was even later, when all others had gone to sleep and the already muted activity of the castle gave way to nearly complete silence, that Anna realized it had been quite some time since she visited Kristoff. In all the excitement of the past few days, she had neglected to drop by the stables. It might be good to get away from the castle. Anna left to the outdoors and followed the familiar path.

There were still lights inside the stables. Anna opened the door and peered in.

"Your Highness?" Kristoff called, but when Anna stepped through fully he corrected himself. "Oh, Anna. I thought you were…never mind."

"Were you expecting someone else?" Anna asked.

"Hans should be dropping off Sitron again soon," Kristoff shrugged.

"Oh."

"Yeah, he came by a while ago. Comes pretty often, actually, but always really late. Sometimes he just stays here and talks to Sitron, and I go out and do something else." Kristoff dragged up a stool and Anna sat down, knocking some of the snow off her boots. "What are _you _doing here?"

"I just wanted to drop by," Anna said.

So Anna stayed and chatted for a half hour, being evasive and avoiding the subject of why exactly she was out so late even as Kristoff obviously worried. Eventually he gave up and tried to cheer her up with Sven, the both of them incredibly synchronized as Sven pulled facial expressions Anna hadn't thought possible for a reindeer and Kristoff _translated _what he was saying, most of them corny inspirational lines.

"The night is darkest before the dawn," Kristoff boomed, and Sven somehow smiled and blinked earnestly. "The, uhh, grass is always greener on the other side?"

"Hey, that one might actually make sense from Sven."

"These are _all _from Sven, I'm serious."

Then the doors opened again, and Hans blinked at the sight of Anna. She smiled in greeting, and strangely, Hans paused for a moment as though unsure how to respond. After finally answering, he handed the reins to Kristoff and the stable-hand directed Sitron to his stall.

"You're up rather late," Hans said. "I'll bring you back."

"I don't really want to just yet," Anna said.

"You probably should," Kristoff suggested. "Prince Hans is right. It can get pretty cold out here, and I'm going to be leaving soon myself."

"I'll take her off your hands." Hans held out his hand to help Anna up, and after their farewells the two of them left. "Since you don't want to go back yet, would you like to visit the pantries?"

Anna nodded, feeling the chill air now and trying to blow into her hands to keep warm. She felt even more wretched than ever. Not even the heat of the castle could warm her, or the fires of the kitchen. She claimed a seat at the wooden tables where the workers no doubt rested and perhaps ate for themselves, gazing around at the stone walls in silence.

Hans sat next to her and asked, "So why were you…?"

"I couldn't sleep," Anna answered. Not entirely untruthful. Just the thought of facing Elsa was unbearable when Elsa probably hated her now. "What about you?"

"I couldn't sleep either," Hans said, smiling too tightly for it to even be considered a smile. It resembled a grimace. "Would you care to share a drink with me?"

Anna watched curiously as Hans rummaged in the stores and withdrew several bottles. Wine. Alcohol. She had tried some before, of course. It was practically a rule of royalty to be able to appreciate fine wine, but Anna had never been very fond of the rancor, the strong burn in her throat, and especially the numbing dizziness that came with it. She thought she could use it now though. In fact, she welcomed it.

"Sure." Anna took the glass in her hand almost before Hans could finish filling it, and she threw it back without a second thought of etiquette. It tasted horrible on her tongue, bitter and sour.

"You're drinking like someone who wants to get drunk," Hans said, but he followed her example and downed his own without the essential steps both of them knew needed to be taken. No careful wafting, no swishing of the glass, no rolling the wine over the tongue. "Did something happen?"

"I messed up," Anna said. "I messed it all up."

"What, exactly?"

"What else? I should've known when to quit, but I kept pushing. I was actually stupid enough to think I was _helping_. Now Elsa…" Anna shook her head and took another glass as Hans watched curiously. Past the burning reflux she muttered, "She must hate me. She's going to shut me out again."

"I would never shut you out," Hans said quietly.

What? Anna turned to look at him more closely, heart thumping in her chest. Had she misunderstood?

"You're genuine. Compared to others born of nobility, you haven't let it change who you are," Hans said. Anna stilled when he smiled hopefully and reached for her hand. She could barely breathe, but not from thrill, not from the _rightness_ she had always expected she would feel when she met the one. "I'm sorry if this is sudden, but Anna…I want to protect you. If you'll let me, I can–"

Even through the fuzzy buzz of alcohol clouding her thoughts…

Anna jerked her hand back.

"I'm sorry," Anna said quickly. "I-I can't, I don't – I'm sorry."

Hans drew back his hand, lips turned into a wry smile. "I should have known. I'm sorry." His laugh was a bitter sound, clear and yet not, like the drone of a funeral toll. "I never _have _experienced the feeling of true love. I doubt I can give it. I thought…I could feel it with you."

She remembered asking Hans about himself, and he had refused to answer. Right now, at this moment, Anna was seeing the real Hans. "Have you ever tried to love with your heart?"

"And what _is _considered loving with your heart?"

Maybe it was some sort of moment of epiphany. Maybe she had known all along. Or maybe it was the alcohol talking, but whatever it was, Anna felt an answer come as readily as if the words had been put in her mouth by something divine. "When your self becomes unimportant. When your heart only belongs to…her." She had meant to answer from Hans' perspective. But the moment Anna said _her_, she could think of only one person. "No matter what pain or heartache, you just can't leave her, you can't turn back. Without a choice, and without hesitation. It just has to be."

Hans stilled and repeated her words, pronouncing each one slowly like a foreign language. "It just has to be…?" He rose and walked away so his back faced Anna. She couldn't see his face anymore, but though he spoke evenly again, there was something raw and real there, something he had lacked until now. "I won't lie to you, Anna. I've had quite a number of women, but to tell you the truth…I've never loved anyone. No one has ever loved me. I don't know what love is; I don't believe in it."

"Why?" Anna asked softly.

"Father abandoned my mother from the time I was young. He doesn't love my mother, or me. He only loves himself. He only loves power," Hans said. "Since I was young, no one cared about what I felt. No one cared if I even existed. And certainly no one…has ever told me something like _it just has to be_.

"Today is the anniversary of Mother's death. No one will ever remember her. She died a worthless death because she thought she could escape from the shame of being called an adulteress, and she had the _gall _to say it was for me? Her last thoughts were never about me, or she wouldn't have done it.

"That's why I only care about myself," Hans laughed. "I'll protect my own life, and satisfy my own desires. I won't give my heart to anyone. Because no one…is worthy."

Anna rose and stepped closer, carefully laying a hand on his shoulder. "It's just that your heart's been hurt. Your parents…"

Hans whirled around, jaw tightened and eyes alight with violence. But he didn't strike. He exhaled slowly in a shaking laugh. "Then can you tell me why? Is it because I cared too much?"

"If you really want to give your heart to another person, then don't ask," Anna said. "It's enough to give all that you can. It's hard to force yourself to hate someone you love, you end up hurting yourself. Numbing yourself is…worse than feeling pain. Isn't it?"

"…Maybe so. But are you sure you're talking about me still?" Hans smiled and walked back to the table, picking up a bottle and drinking from it directly. Wine spilled down his chin and stained his coat, but he didn't seem to care at all. "Well, let's drown it all away and forget it."

Anna obliged.

* * *

**a/n: **Bet no one saw this coming! I'm sorry that this had to happen. Really! Anyway, there's another side-story posted featuring Gustaf and Edmund. Speaking of the side-stories, do you guys enjoy those? I'm not sure if I should do more about the others.


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